Male osteoporosis risk factors named

A new study has identified the key risk factors for osteoporosis in older men.

The research suggested that factors other than bone density should be looked at when assessing the risk for males developing the bone-thinning disease.

Osteoporosis mainly affects women in the ten years after the menopause as they no longer have the protective effect of the female sex hormone oestrogen.

The condition results in weak and brittle bones which are susceptible to be dangerous and potentially fatal fractures.

Now, a team of researchers led by Dr Anne-Barbara Mongey of the University of Cincinnati in the US have looked into the risk factors for men developing osteoporosis.

They explained in the Journal of Rheumatology: "Osteoporotic fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality particularly among older men. However, there is little information regarding risk factors among this population.

"The aims of our study were to determine risk factors for osteoporosis and fragility fractures and the predictive value of bone mineral density (BMD) measurements for development of fragility fractures."

More than 250 men over the age of 70 years were assessed by the research team through a questionnaire and analysis of BMD measurements.

Leading risk factors identified include age, lack of exercise, weight and weight loss, shorter duration of dairy product intake and androgen deprivation treatment.

"Although men with osteoporosis had a higher rate of fractures, the majority of fractures occurred in men with T-scores > –2.5 standard deviations below the mean, suggesting that factors other than BMD are also important in determining risk," Dr Mongey and colleagues concluded.

A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that research into osteoporosis has traditionally focused more on women in whom the condition is more common.

"Many people are very surprised to learn that men can get osteoporosis as well as women. Raising awareness of the risk factors is vital if the condition is to be properly diagnosed and treated. We hope this and our own research in this area will make a difference to men with osteoporosis," she added.



© Adfero Ltd

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