The prevalence of osteoporosis and its association with serum testosterone and serum vitamin D in the elderly male population: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Male osteoporosis is under-diagnosed and poorly studied. With the ageing population, osteoporotic fracture in men is an emerging health problem. The aim of this study was to study the prevalence of osteoporosis and its association with serum testosterone and serum vitamin D in elderly men (>60 years old) attending the outpatient department (OPD).

METHODS

An observational cross-sectional study was performed in elderly men (>60 years old) attending OPD of a tertiary care hospital of Western Maharashtra between April 2017 and June 2019. Patients with rheumatological disorders, history of vertebral/femoral fractures, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, thyroid disorders and alcohol dependence were excluded. Data were analysed using the chi-square test and descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

In total, 408 male patients were included. The mean age was 68.33 years. Osteoporosis was seen in 39.5% of patients (161/408) with a T score of ≤2.5. Osteopenia was noted in 48.3% of patients (197/408). T and Z scores had significant correlation (p = <0.001). Only 12% of elderly men had normal bone mineral density score. Serum testosterone, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) were significantly associated with male osteoporosis with a p-value of 0.019, 0.016 and 0.010, respectively. Vitamin D levels, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and coronary artery disease did not show any significant association with male osteoporosis.

CONCLUSION

Osteoporosis was noted in 39.5% of the elderly men. In addition, decreased testosterone, COPD and BPH were significantly associated with male osteoporosis. It is important to screen elderly men to diagnose osteoporosis early and prevent osteoporotic fractures.