title: Clinical manifestations of the female athlete triad among some Iranian athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study's purpose was to evaluate clinical manifestations of the female athlete triad among some elite Iranian athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted in three phases: 1) screening for menstrual irregularity (oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea) and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs, 2) measurement of bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and 3) a clinical interview to diagnose eating disorders. Phases 2 and 3 were conducted in athletes who reported menstrual irregularity and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated a total of 786 athletes (94%) with a mean age of 21.1 ± 4.5 yr old. Seventy-two (9.2%) athletes reported menstrual irregularity, 11 (1.4%) of whom had polycystic ovary syndrome. Only three athletes (0.4%) had all three common clinical manifestations of the Triad (eating disorders, menstrual irregularity, and low bone mineral density). There was no association between these disorders and body mass index or type of sport. A total of 17 (2%) reported stress fracture, 14 of whom also reported a history of stress fracture without any menstrual irregularity. The athletes who competed in high-risk sports (endurance sports, weight class sports, and sports requiring a lean build) had significantly more stress fractures than those participating in other types (odds ratio = 3.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.22-9.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the prevalences of clinical functional hypothalamic menstrual disorders and stress fracture were less than those reported in some other countries, athletes in the high-risk group had significantly more stress fractures than those in the low-risk group. Future studies should focus on screening, diagnosing, preventing, and treating all components of the newly defined Triad, especially in high-risk sports in Iran.
authors: Rheumatology Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Shafieh
authors: S
authors: Movaseghi
authors: Haleh
authors: H
authors: Dadgostar
authors: Saeideh
authors: S
authors: Dahaghin
authors: Narges
authors: N
authors: Chimeh
authors: Talia
authors: T
authors: Alenabi
authors: Elham
authors: E
authors: Dadgostar
authors: Fereydon
authors: F
authors: Davatchi
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D053716:Female Athlete Triad Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult