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We evaluated different definitions of osteoporosis in a population-based sample of 348 men (age 22-90 years) compared with 351 women (age 21-93 years). Thirty-six men (10%) and 46 women (13%) had a history of osteoporotic fracture (hip, spine, or distal forearm due to moderate trauma at >/= age 35). In logistic regression analysis, osteoporotic fracture risk was associated with bone mineral density (BMD) at all sites (neck, trochanter, total hip, lumbar spine, and total wrist) in both genders (p /=50 years of age. A similar approach (BMD > 2.5 SD below the young male mean) produced an osteoporosis prevalence rate in men >/=50 years of age of 19%. Thus, bone density predicts fracture risk in men as it does in women, and the prevalence of osteoporosis in men, using sex-specific normal values, is substantial. These observations indicate a need for better prevention and treatment strategies for men.
Melton et al. (Tue,) studied this question.