Prevalence of secondary causes in a population of premenopausal women with low bone mass

Abstract

Objective: osteoporosis is a common disorder in postmenopausal women, however it can also affect men and premenopausal young women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of secondary causes of low bone mass in premenopausal women that consulted physicians in an institution specialized in osteology for a period of 19 months.
Material and methods: this is a retrospective, transversal, descriptive and observational study. The clinical history of 88 patients who consulted a physician due to low bone mass for a period of 19 months in an institution specialized in osteology. Were analyzed the patients clinical history in order to find secondary causes. We define as suffering Low Bone Mass those patients who did not have secondary causes.
Results: of the 88 women tested, 48,9% had one or more secondary causes or risks factors for low bone mass (secondary amenorrea, hypercalciuria, treatment with glucocorticoids, hypovitamiosis D and celiac disease) and 51,1% patients were considered idiopathic.
Conclusions: we conclude that it is essential to exhaustively search for secondary causes of low bone mass in premenopausal women, due to the high prevalence of secondary osteoporosis in this population.