A Cross-Sectional Study of Osteoporosis in Heping Township of Taichung County, Taiwan

Purpose: Osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures are major, global public health problems requiring effective strategies for prevention and treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis and its risk factors, to compare bone mineral density of Taiwanese aborigines versus nonaborigines, and to evaluate for differences in genotypic frequencies in vitamin-D receptor genotypes in relationship to osteoporosis in Heping township in central Taiwan. Methods: Data were collected from 1638 residents of Heping township by conducting a community survey on demographic and lifestyle variables. The participants included 226 aboriginal and 595 non-aboriginal men and 333 aboriginal and 484 non-aboriginal women older than 40 years. BsmI polymorphism of the vitamin-D receptor at genetic intron 8 was determined by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction analysis. Bone densities (broadband ultrasound attenuation values) were measured with quantitative ultrasonography. Results: For aborigines versus non-aborigines, respectively, the rates of osteoporosis were 6.2% versus 13.4% among men and 27.6% versus 28.9% among women. Bone densities were significantly higher in aboriginal men aged 50-79 years than in non-aboriginal men of the same age. In addition to the finding of bone loss with increasing age, bone densities were also decreased in women who had given birth to more than five children, who had a body weight of less than 55 kg, or who never drank alcohol. In a sample of 393 participants, 6 (1.5%) were BB homozygotes, 17 (4.3%) were Bb heterozygotes, and 370 (94.1%) were bb homozygotes. Distributions of the three genotypes did not differ significantly between participants with and those without osteoporosis among aborigines or non-aborigines. Conclusion: After matching for race and age and adjusting for body mass index, lifestyle, and multiparity, no significant differences were found in the proportion of vitamin-D receptor genotypes and the prevalence of osteoporosis among men or women. Polymorphisms of the BsmI restriction site in the vitamin-D receptor gene were not predictive of osteoporosis.

並列關鍵字

aborigines ； broadband ultrasound attenuation ； osteoporosis ； vitamin-D receptor gene

國際替代計量

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