Objective: To determine the risk factors of osteoporosis and osteopenia of the spine in postmenopausal women.
Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed on postmenopausal women. The T-score of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) was measured by densitometry and compared between osteoporotic, osteopenia, and normal women.
Results: One thousand three hundred fify-nine postmenopausal women were evaluated. The prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 58.2% and 12.8% respectively. Age, BMI, parity, total breastfeeding years, dairy use, calcium-D supplements, and regular exercise were significantly different in women with osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal women. Ethnicity, diabetes, and previous fracture history were only other among women with osteoporosis (not osteopenia) and normal women. For osteopenia of the spine, age [AOR 1.08 (1.05-1.11; p < .001)] was the risk factor, and BMI = >30 [AOR 0.36 (0.28-0.58; p < .001)] and BMI 25-<30 [AOR 0.55 (0.34-0.88; p = .012)] were protective factors. Hyperthyroidism (AOR 23.43, p = .010), Kurdish ethnicity (AOR 2.96, p = .009), not having regular exercise (AOR 2.22, p = .012), previous fracture history (AOR 2.15, p = .041)], and age (AOR 1.14, p < .001)], were risk factors for osteoporosis, while BMI ≥30 [AOR 0.09, p < .001], BMI 25-<30 [AOR 0.28, p = .001], and diabetes [AOR 0.41, p = .038] were protective factors for osteoporosis of the spine.
Conclusion: Hyperthyroidism, low BMI <25, parity ≥ 6, Kurdish ethnicity, not having regular exercise, history of previous fracture, and age, were risk factors for osteoporosis of the spine respectively, while low BMI and age were risk factors for osteopenia.
Keywords: L2–L4; Osteoporosis; T score; bone density; densitometry; fracture; lumbar spine; menopause; osteopenia; post-menopausal women.