Bone mineral density measurements of distal radius in Saudi Arabian females

Osteoporosis: Is the prevalence increasing in Saudi Arabia

Background and Objective:

The objective of this analysis is to report from a teaching hospital in eastern Saudi Arabia hospital based prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Methods:

This is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan between January 1, and December 31, 2018, at King Fahd Hospital of the University at Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia. Demographic data of patients, which included age, sex, diabetes mellitus status based on fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C, Vitamin D level, parathormone level, and T score of the neck of femur and lumbar spine was extracted from the Quadrumed patient care system. The data was entered into database and analyzed.

Results:

Three hundred and one patients had a DXA scan for the year 2018, a jump of 27.2% of requests to diagnose osteoporosis. There were 55 (18.27%) were male and rest females (246). The average age for males was 65.2 ± 10.5 and females 62.9 ± 9.4 years. Using T score of the lumbar spine, 63.6% were osteoporotic in males and 52.8% in females.

Conclusions:

The hospital-based study shows that the prevalence of osteoporosis has significantly increased in men to 63.6%, while in postmenopausal women to 58.4%, this is high compared to the earlier reports.

Established Osteoporosis and Gaps in the Management: Review from a Teaching hospital

Background:

International osteoporosis foundation described severe or established osteoporosis as an osteoporotic individual with a fragility fracture. Orthopaedic surgeons frequently manage fractures, but we believe that large gaps are prevalent in the medical management of osteoporosis after fractures are fixed.

Aim:

The aim of this analysis is to assess the investigations and gaps in the management of osteoporosis in patients admitted with a fragility fracture of femur at King Fahd Hospital of the University, AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective analysis of all admission and discharge; medical and pharmacy records database of patients over ≥ 50 years with fragility fracture between January 2001 and December 2011. The outcome measures assessed were investigations such as serum calcium, phosphorous, alkaline phosphatase, parathormone, 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) levels and a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Secondly once the fracture was fixed what medications were prescribed, calcium and vitamin D, antiresorptives and anabolic agents.

Results:

There were 207 patients admitted during the study period with an average age of 69.2 (12.1) years and 118 were females. In 169 (81.6%) patients, the fracture site was proximal femur. Vitamin D (25OHD) was requested in 31/207 (14.9%). DEXA scan was ordered in 49/207 (24.1%). A total of 78/207 (37.6%) patients received calcium and vitamin D3 and 94/207 (45.4%) either got calcium or vitamin D3. Bisphosphonates was used in 35, miacalcic nasal spray in 25 and anabolic agent teriparatide was prescribed in 21 patients. Post-fixation 126/207 (60.8%) patients did not receive any anti-osteoporotic medication. In untreated group, there were 87 males and 39 females.

Conclusions:

The study found that in patients, who sustained a fragility fracture, confirmation of osteoporosis by DEXA was very low and ideal treatment for severe osteoporosis was given out to few patients. More efforts are needed to fill this large gap in the correct management of osteoporosis related fractures by orthopaedic surgeons.

Do osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures precede hip fractures?

AIM

To evaluate the relationship between a vertebral fracture and a hip fracture in Saudi Arabians with osteoporosis.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 154 Saudi Arabian patients with osteoporosis-related hip fractures were analyzed for the presence of a vertebral fracture. Radiographs were retrieved from the IPAC (Image Picture Archiving and Computing) System, an imaging retrieval system, and were reviewed independently by two of the authors, Abid Hussain Gullenpet, and Mir Sadat-Ali, and later reviewed jointly. Patients admitted with proximal hip fracture who were ≥ 50 years and had undergone Thoraco-lumber imaging and a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan were included in the study. Patients with a history of significant trauma to the spine and those with a malignancy or connective tissue disorder were excluded from the analysis.

RESULTS

Out of 154 patients with hip fractures, 78 had a fracture of the femoral neck while 76 had an intertrochanteric hip fracture. Of the 111 patients who were finally included in the study, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 76 patients with an average age of 67.28 ± 12 years had no fractures of the spine. Thirty-five patients with an average age of 76.9 ± 14.5 years (31.53%) had a total of 49 vertebral fractures. Patients with vertebral fractures were significantly older than those without fractures P < 0.001. Overall, 24.7% of these patients had an asymptomatic vertebral fracture. Further analysis showed that 11 males (18.96%) and 24 females (45.28%) had suffered a previous asymptomatic vertebral fracture. Interestingly, all women who participated in this study and who presented with a femoral neck fracture had experienced a prior asymptomatic vertebral fracture.

CONCLUSION

We recommend that all elderly patients who go to the radiology department for a chest X-ray also have a DEXA scan and a lateral thoracic spine radiograph.

An epidemiological analysis of the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures among the Saudi Arabian population

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Osteoporosis is common in Saudi Arabia and the burden of management in an aging population will increase in coming decades. There is still no national policy nor consensus on screening for this silent disease. The objective of this analysis was to determine from the published data the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in Saudi Arabians, the prevalence of secondary osteoporosis, and the prevalence of osteoporosis-related fractures (ORF). We also sought to determine the best age to begin and best modality for screening.

METHODS

Data Sources were MEDLINE (1966 to May 2011), EMBASE (1991 to May 2011), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1952 to May 2011), and the Science Citation Index (1966 to May 2011), published data from the Saudi Medical Journal (1985-2011) and Annals of Saudi Medicine (1985-2011). We selected English-language articles with at least 100 Saudi individuals. Two authors independently reviewed articles and abstracted data.

RESULTS

The authors identified 36 potentially relevant articles, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Of 5160 healthy women 50 to 79 years of age (mean, SD: 56.8 [2.7]), 36.6% (6.6%) were osteopenic and 34.0% (8.5%) were osteoporotic. In three studies on males (n=822), the prevalence of osteopenia was 46.3% and osteoporosis 30.7%. Males had a significantly higher frequency of osteopenia in comparison to females (P= < .001 95% CI < -0.0333), The mean age of the patients with secondary osteoporosis was 37.4 (13.5, 18-57) years, with the osteoporosis in 46.4% and osteopenia in 34.1%. In 5 studies of ORF, the incidence of vertebral fractures was between 20%-24%.

CONCLUSION

The currently available literature on Saudi Arabian population suggests that the ideal age for screening for low bone mass among the Saudi population should be earlier (55 years) than the >=65 years in Western countries. Both quatitative ultrasound and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry could be used for screening. The relatively small number of studies on Saudi Arabians and the different machines used for diagnosis limited the authors ability make conclusions with surety.

Genetic influence of candidate osteoporosis genes in saudi arabian population: a pilot study

Background and Objectives. The purpose of the present study is to find the genes and SNP that influence BMD and postmenopausal Saudi women. Material and Methods. Two-hundred ethnic Saudi Arabian women with a diagnosis of postmenopausal osteoporosis were the subjects of this study. Baseline blood hematology, biochemistry, and bone panel were done. Blood was collected, and three TaqMan-MGB probes were used to analyze SNP variants in ALOX15 (rs7220870), LRP5 (C 25752205 10), and TNFRSF11B (C 11869235 10). Results. The variant of ALOX15 17p13 showed that the BMD of the spine was lower in the AA allele (P value <0.002) and fractures were highest at 50% compared to CC allele. In the TNFRSF11B gene, BMD of the hip and spine was significantly higher in the GG allele and the history of fractures was significantly higher in GG group. With regard to the LRP5 (C 25752205 10) gene, there was no significant difference between allele groups. Conclusion(s). This study shows that the genetic influence of osteoporosis in the Caucasian and Saudi Arabians population is similar. We believe that the same genetic markers that influence osteoporosis in the Caucasian race could be used for further studies in the Saudi Arabian population.

Effect of diet and lifestyle factors on bone health in postmenopausal women

Our objective was to examine the effect of nutritional intake and lifestyle factors on bone mass in postmenopausal Saudi women. A total of 122 apparently healthy postmenopausal Saudi women were recruited from the Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research in Jeddah. A questionnaire on lifestyle habits and dietary intake was administered to all participants. Anthropometric and bone mineral density (BMD) values were measured. Fasting blood samples were taken to measure concentrations of bone-related parameters and hormones. Most of the sample population was found to be vitamin D deficient with a serum vitamin D level below 50 nmol/l. Those participants with normal BMD values had significantly lower serum vitamin D levels than osteopenic individuals (P < 0.05). Overall, mean total caloric, total fat, and saturated fat intakes were above recommended levels. Almost 60% of the total study population had lower calcium intake than the estimated average requirements whereas the whole population had vitamin D intake level below the estimated average requirements. Only BMD of the femoral neck showed significant correlations with serum vitamin D level and dietary cholesterol intake. After adjustment for confounding variables; serum vitamin D levels were significantly correlated with cholesterol intake. Dietary calcium intake was significantly correlated with intake of protein and fiber whereas dietary vitamin D intake was significantly correlated with intake level of total fat, all fatty acids, cholesterol, and fiber. Our findings reveal the important role of dietary vitamin D and calcium in osteopenic patients and the likely requirement for supplementation of these nutrients in the Saudi population.

Does scoliosis causes low bone mass? A comparative study between siblings

The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence low bone mass among girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and their siblings. The subjects of this study were Saudi Arabian girls with AIS. Patients had their weight and height measured to calculate their body mass index (BMI). Clinical examination and investigations were done to rule out any other cause of scoliosis. All had bone mineral density (BMD) measurement of hip area and the spine using DEXA scan, Hologic Inc. Patients with a BMD of < -2.6 was taken as osteoporotic and those between < -1 and -2.5 was taken as osteopenic for analysis. As control subjects, siblings of the patients with normal spine had their BMI calculated and BMD measurement done. We were able to analyze the data of 32 girls with an average age of 18.42 +/- 5.71 (14-26) years with mean BMI of 17.7 +/- 0.69 (16.5-18.5) kg/M2. Analysis of the scans of the hip revealed that 62.5% of the patients were osteoporotic with BMD of 0.837 (0.697-0.936) +/- 0.04, T-score -3.8 +/- 0.56 (-2.6 to -3.9) and Z-score. Nine (28.1%) were osteopenic with BMD of 0.768 +/- 0.15 (0.638-0.878), mean T-score of -1.6 (-1.1 to 2.5) and Z-score -3.5 +/- 0.63 (-2.9 to -3.9). Analysis of BMD of the spine showed similar results. In comparison to the scoliotics, girls with normal spine had higher BMI and BMD which was statistically significant at P < 0.001. T- and Z-score was also lower in scoliotic girls in comparison with girls with normal spine significant at P < 0.001 (CI 95%). Our study indicates that the scoliosis causes osteopenia and osteoporosis among girls while their siblings with normal spine remain with normal bone mass.

Economic implications of osteoporosis-related femoral fractures in Saudi Arabian society

PURPOSE

To assess the prevalence of proximal femoral fractures due to osteopenia and osteoporosis in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and to estimate the cost of management of osteoporosis-related femoral fractures.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study of all patients admitted to the orthopaedic department of the King Fahd Hospital of the University, AlKhobar between January 2001 and December 2006. There were 63 patients admitted to the hospital with osteoporosis-related fractures and 43 sustained proximal femoral fractures. The cost of management of these patients from admission to discharge was analyzed. A verbal survey was carried with all the hospitals in the eastern province to establish the prevalence of osteoporosis-related femoral fractures for a 12 month period.

RESULTS

There were 23 male and 20 female patients with average age of 72.11 years and the hospital stay was for 760 days. The cost of managing these patients was SR2.09 million (US$557,333.00) at the rate of SR48,712 (US$12,989.90) per patient. The survey of all hospitals in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia showed that 984 proximal femoral fractures occurred in a population of 164,121. The estimated cost was SR48 million (US$12.78 million) annually. On a national basis, with a population of 1,461,401 Saudis aged 50 years or more, 8,768 would suffer femoral fractures yearly at a cost of SR4.27 billion (US$1.14 billion).

CONCLUSION

This study raises serious economic concerns. The annual cost of management of osteoporosis-related proximal femoral fractures in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia is US$12.78 million. As the Saudi Arabian population is aging and the number of elderly patients is bound to increase, with an accompanying increase in fractures, the impact on health care budgets will be tremendous.

Osteoporosis among male Saudi Arabs: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Little attention has been paid to the problem of male osteoporosis in Saudi Arabia. In this prospective study we assessed the prevalence of male osteoporosis among Saudi Arabs.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We studied Saudi Arabian males >50 years of age attending outpatient clinics at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, between 1 May 2005 and 30 January 2006. We determined body mass index (BMI) and tests were done to rule out secondary osteoporosis. All subjects had a bone mineral density (BMD) measurement of the hip area and the lumbar spine using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). A T-score of < or = -2.5 SD that of young, healthy adults was taken as osteoporotic and scores between -1 to -2.5 SD were taken as osteopenic.

RESULTS

One hundred fifteen patients (mean age, 61.8+/-0.75 years; range, 50 to 76 years) had a mean BMI of 24.7+/-0.35 (range, 18.5 to 31). Based on hip scans, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 24.3%. Sixty- four percent were osteopenic. Based on scans of the lumbar spine, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 37.4% and 33.9% were osteopenic. Spinal osteoporosis was more common than hip osteoporosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that the prevalence of osteoporosis among Saudi Arabian males is higher than among Western males. More studies are needed to determine the national prevalence of male osteoporosis. It is recommended that serious measures to be undertaken to prevent male osteoporosis to stop any future epidemic of catastrophic osteoporosis-related fractures.

Screening, supplements and the use of hormonal replacement therapy in postmenopausal women in a family medicine department prior to the publication of the Woman's Health Initiative report

BACKGROUND

Many guidelines and recommendations exist on the management of the menopause. Because it is not certain what women do or what management they receive in practice, we studied what was prescribed for postmenopausal women and what screening they had undergone.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted on all postmenopausal women between the ages of 56-59 years who had no absolute contraindications to taking hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) and were frequent enough attendees at the family health clinic to ensure that postmenopausal issues had been addressed and screening and follow up performed. The women were patients of the family medicine department at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia.

RESULTS

Sixty-one percent had taken HRT at some time after the menopause, including 42% of Saudis and 87% of non-Saudis. Forty-six percent of all women were taking HRT at the time of the study, including 30% of Saudis and 70% of non-Saudis. Fifty-one percent of all women were taking calcium supplements, 49% were taking vitamin D supplementation, and 63% had undergone a bone mineral density evaluation. There were notable differences in percentages between Saudis and non-Saudis. Sixteen percent of all women had never had a mammogram, including 26% of Saudis and only 3% of non-Saudis.

CONCLUSION

Many postmenopausal women with access to medical care were not screened nor were they taking supplements in accordance with published guidelines. There was a discrepancy in the management of Saudi and non-Saudi women that could be explained partially by the high percentage of medical professionals among non-Saudi women who are more likely to actively seek medical attention. Our study showed a large proportion of women on HRT, the standard of care before the publication of the Women's Health Initiative study.