Evaluation of Bone Mineral Density of the Lumbar Spine and Proximal Femur in Population-based Routine Health Examinations of Healthy Asians

Purpose: To understand the peak bone mineral density (BMD) and annual loss of BMD of the lumbar spine (L-BMD) and the proximal femur (F-BMD) and the prevalence of osteoporosis in both sexes in Taipei City, Taiwan. Material and Methods: The medical records from a recent 3-year period of annual health examinations at a single institution were reviewed. A total of 1514 men (mean age 49.08 ±13.62) and 1955 women (48.07±14.12), who lived in the Taipei area, had no major systemic disorders, and who had undergone both L-BMD and F-BMD examinations, were recruited. Results: In women, peak L-BMD (1.078±0.133 g/cm²) occurred in the 30 to 39-year age group, whereas peak F-BMD (0.873±0.101 g/cm²) occurred in the 17 to 29-year age group. In men, peak L-BMD (1.095±0.137 g/cm²) and F-BMD (0.989±0.140 g/cm²) both occurred in the 17 to 29-year age group. The estimated annual bone loss was 0.69% of peak L-BMD in women over 50 years; in the proximal femur this was 0.688% in women and 0.332% in men. In women over 60 years, approximately half of the population had osteoporosis in the lumbar spine. Conclusion: We report descriptive BMD data of a Chinese population recruited from a Taipei urban area who underwent routine health examination. The values are similar to or higher than those of Japanese, Canadian and Greek populations. L-BMD was lower than that in the Lebanese, and F-BMD of both sexes was lower than that reported in the Greek study.