| Objective The present study was designed to provide data on women above the age of 40 years with respect to low bone mineral density (BMD) and its associated high risk factors. Methods After a written informed consent, a detailed history was taken, baseline height and weight were recorded, biochemical and endocrine tests were done, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan were performed. Results Average age of the study population was 46.65 years and BMI 26.23 kg/m2. The prevalence of osteopenia in the study population was 38%, and of osteoporosis was 4%; the overall prevalence of low BMD was 42%. Proportion of women with low BMD increased with advancing age and menopausal status. On the endocrine evaluation, 60％ cases with insufficient vitamin D, 56.67% with hyperparathyroidism, 100% with hypothyroidism and 75% with hyperthyroidism were found to have low BMD. Among chronic diseases, 83.33％women with diabetes, 50% with hypertension, 50% with liver disorder and 50% with rheumatoid arthritis were found to have low BMD. 48.65％ women with sun exposure less than one hour daily had poor bone mineralization. The proportion of women with normal BMD decreased from 72.72％ to 46.15％with decrease in daily physical work. In the logistic regression analysis, insufficient serum vitamin D concentrations, less physical work and inadequate sun exposure were found to be significantly associated with low BMD. Conclusion Low BMD is not a disorder confined to postmenopausal women alone. It is widely prevalent in women above 40 years of age. |