title: Relationship between blood pressure levels and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Turkish women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the association between bone mineral density (BMD) detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometric (DXA) method and blood pressure (BP) in a large sample of postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study was based on a retrospective analysis of 586 postmenopausal women with a mean age of 60.8 ±8.8 years, who were screened for osteopenia or osteoporosis by DXA. Patients with hypertension (HT, n= 306) were compared with normotensive (NT, n = 290) individuals. Bone mineral density results for the femur neck and spine were classified into 3 groups according to World Health Organization criteria: normal (T score > -1.0 SD), osteopenia (T score -1.0 to -2.5 SD) and osteoporosis (T score < -2.5 SD). Patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis (T score < -1.0 SD) were grouped as having low bone mass (LBM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in femur T score, femur BMD, femur Z score, spinal T score, spinal BMD and spinal Z score between hypertensive and normotensive groups. The group of patients with low bone mass calculated from femur T scores had higher age, systolic BP, duration of hypertension and duration of menopause, but lower BMI. Similarly, patients with low spine BMD had higher age and duration of menopause, but lower BMI. Linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between systolic BP and femur BMD and T score values. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension is an independent predictor of spinal osteopenia and osteoporosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of hypertension is an independent predictor of spinal low bone density in Turkish women after menopause.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Düzce University Medical Faculty, Düzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Melih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engin Erkan
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erdem Baki
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Erden
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozhan
authors.forename: Safinaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ataoğlu