Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a novel method for assessing trabecular microarchitecture. Normative values of TBS are available for various populations of the world but are not yet available for Taiwanese adults. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to estimate age-specific, normative TBS curves for Taiwanese men and women. Medical records of general health examinations from a regional hospital in Southern Taiwan were reviewed. Individuals aged 30-90 years with data on lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) were included. TBS was retrospectively calculated from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans using TBS iNsight software. Of the 12,028 patients included, 4533 (37.7%) were male and the mean age was 55.8 years. The mean TBS was 1.392 (standard deviation (SD) 0.089) for men and 1.344 (SD 0.107) for women. In women, TBS declined at a rate of 0.0004/year among those aged 30.0-45.9 years, 0.0106/year among those 46.0-60.7 years, and 0.0028/year among those 60.8-90.0 years. In men, TBS declined at a constant rate of 0.0023/year over the entire age range. In conclusion, age-adjusted, normative curves of TBS for Taiwanese men and women are presented, which could be used to facilitate the use of TBS in assessing bone status in clinical practice.
Keywords: bone density; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; normative values; trabecular bone score.