Osteoporosis is present in Almost one in five American women aged 50 and older, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the osteoporosis rates are increasing.
Neda Sarafrazi, PhD, of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues reported the findings in an NCHS Data Brief.
Osteoporosis is defined as bone mineral density (BMD) value at least 2.5 standard deviations below young-adult average at the femoral neck or lumbar spine was present, and was measured in NHANES with dual x-ray absorption dosimetry.
In cross-sectional survey data from 2017-2018, 19.6% of women 50 and older had osteoporosis at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, or both. In men, the age-adjusted prevalence was only 4.4% of men 50 and older.
All in all, osteoporosis was present in 12.6% of all American adults 50 and older, which was defined as a bone mineral density (BMD) value at least 2.5 standard deviations below the average for young adults at the femoral neck or lumbar spine.
Osteoporosis, as to be expected, was far more common among older adults, affecting 17.7% of all men and women 65 and older, versus 8.4% of those ages 50-64. In women ages 65 and older, the prevalence was 27% and at ages 50-64 was 13.1%. In men, prevalence values were 5.7% in those 65 and older and 3.3% for those 50-64.
Sarafrazi’s team found that osteoporosis had become slightly more prevalent over the years. In 2007-2008, 9.4% of Americans 50 and older had osteoporosis. While rates remained steady throughout for men, a big uptick of 5 percentage points was seen for women.
“Monitoring the prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone mass may inform public health programs that focus on reducing or preventing osteoporosis and its consequences,” suggested Sarafrazi’s group. “Healthy People 2020 has a goal of 5.3% or less for the prevalence of osteoporosis at the femur neck for adults aged 50 and over.”
“In the United States, the prevalence of osteoporosis among adults aged 50 and over at the femur neck only was 6.3% and has not met the 2020 goal,” they stressed.
The data also revealed high rates of low bone mass, a precursor of osteoporosis, defined as BMD of 1 to 2.5 standard deviations below the average for young adults.
Among all adults ages 50 and older, 43.1% had low bone mass at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, or both. Among women, prevalence was 51.5% and among men 33.5% .
The overall rate reached 47.5% in those 65 and older. However, older age seemed to be less of a factor for women, with almost no difference between the 50-64 and 65-plus age groups.
However, the prevalence rates of low bone mass in both sexes held steady during the decade between 2007-2008 and 2017-2018.
Source: MedPage Today
Journal information: Sarafrazi N, et al “Osteoporosis or low bone mass in older adults: United States, 2017–2018” NCHS Data Brief 2021; No 405.
