Prevalence of Low Femoral Bone Density in Older U.S. Adults from NHANES III
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Discussion
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Implication
Cross-sectional survey reveals high rates of femoral osteoporosis and osteopenia in older adults, highlighting a substantial burden among both women and men.
Key Points
- Estimate the national prevalence of low femoral bone mineral density in U.S. adults aged 50 years and older and evaluate reference cutoff definitions for men.
- Analyzed femoral bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry from the NHANES III survey (1988–1994) in adults aged 50 years and older.
- Classified osteoporosis (>2.5 SD below young reference mean) and osteopenia (1.0–2.5 SD below) using WHO criteria, referenced against young non-Hispanic white cohorts (382 men, 409 women aged 20–29 years).
- Among women aged 50 and older, 13–18% (4–6 million) had osteoporosis and 37–50% (13–17 million) had osteopenia.
- Among men aged 50 and older evaluated with male-specific cutoffs, 3–6% (1–2 million) had osteoporosis and 28–47% (8–13 million) had osteopenia.
- Evaluating men using female-derived cutoffs resulted in osteoporosis rates of 1–4% (280,000–1 million) and osteopenia rates of 15–33% (4–9 million).
Cite This Study
Looker et al. (1997) studied this question.