Identifying risk factors for bone mass transition states for postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abstract

IntroductionThe conventional risk factors and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms plays an important part in the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors affecting bone mass transition states for PMOP based on conventional risk factors and potential TCM symptoms. MethodsA questionnaire survey and bone mineral density tests were conducted over a 3 year period from March 2009 to November 2011. Every subject was regularly contacted and interviewed annually. The characteristics of the population with different bone mass were categorized. Risk factors were selected through univariate and multivariate analysis using the Markov model. Likelihood ratio test was used to compare the fitting effect of different variables for the same data. ResultsA total of 1021 participants were followed up for three consecutive years. In the period of follow up, 80 women suffered the normal-osteopenia transition, 43 women suffered the osteopenia-osteoporosis transition. Duration of menopause, height loss, and TCM symptoms including soreness and weakness of waist and knees, hair loss and leg pains were conventional risk factors of transition states for PMOP (P<0.05). A fresh vegetable diet could reduce the risk of transition (P<0.05). The Markov model based on the conventional risk factors and TCM symptoms had a satisfactory degree of fit. ConclusionFor the population with a high risk of PMOP, long duration of menopause, height loss, fresh vegetables diet, and TCM symptoms such as soreness and weakness of waist and knees, hair loss and leg pains play important role in early warning. The Markov model could be used for identifying the risk factors for the three-phases of bone mass transition for PMOP.