TULES Research Unit (OSTPRE Study group), Research Institute of Public Health, University of Kuopio, MediTeknia Building, PO Box 1627, Kuopio 70211, Finland. jsirola@hytti.uku.fi
The present study evaluated the effects of menopause and other putative bone loss modifying factors on bone mineral density (BMD) change.
The study population, 396 healthy women aged 48-59 years with no history of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use or any bone affecting disease or medications, was selected from a random sample (n=2025) of the OSTPRE-study cohort (n=13100) in Kuopio, Finland. BMD at lumbar spine (LS) and three areas of proximal femur (femoral neck (FN), Ward's triangle (W), trochanter (T)) was measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry at baseline in 1989-1991 and at 5 years in 1994-1997.
116 women who reported the beginning of menopause during the follow-up (perimenopausal) had the greatest mean annual bone loss (-1.22%/year (LS), -0.87% year (FN), -1.14%/year (W), -0.36%/year (T)). In women under 5 years postmenopausal at baseline (early postmenopausal, n=172) bone loss rate was significantly lower than in perimenopausal women. In women over 5 years postmenopausal at baseline (late postmenopausal, n=108) bone loss rate was significantly further decreased only at lumbar spine. In peri- and postmenopausal women the annual BMD change was best described as a trinomial function of the duration of menopause at all sites (P