title: Osteoporosis--a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases: a follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular (CV) diseases and bone fractures due to osteoporosis are the leading causes of death in the elderly.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to demonstrate a correlation between the overall risk for CV events, and low bone density in postmenopausal women, and its impact on the incidence of serious CV events.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our prospective study involved 300 postmenopausal women. All the examinees were divided into three groups based on their measured bone density: Group I--84 examinees with osteoporosis; Group II--115 examinees with osteopenia; and Group III--101 examinees with normal bone density. In all examinees the overall ten-year risk for a fatal CV event was calculated using the SCORE system tables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a 36-month follow-up, CV events occurred in 19 (6.3%) examinees. Significant differences in the incidence of CV events were demonstrated between the patients with osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal bone density (χ2 = 28.7; p < 0.001), as well as between those with a high and low CV risk (χ2 = 22.6; p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking (OR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.02 to 6.19; p = 0.035), and increase of overall CV score (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.58; p < 0.001) are associated with increased CV event risk, while the increase of T score value is associated with decreased risk of CV event (OR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.73; p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of bone density with a standard assessment of the total CV risk could be useful for selecting women who need intensive prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tasić
authors.forename: Marina Rašić
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stojanović
authors.forename: Bojana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stamenković
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kostić
authors.forename: Dejan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lazarević
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bogdanović
authors.forename: Vladisav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stefanović
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis; D015519:Bone Density; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010024:Osteoporosis; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents