PRIORITY RISK FACTORS OF OSTEOPOROSIS IN WOMEN OF BELARUS. 
 
Problems of diagnostic of decreasing of bone mineral density (BMD) and revealing patients 
with high risk of low trauma fractures take an important place in modern healthcare due to the high 
economic and social expenditures for the treatment and reabilitation of patients with low trauma 
fractures.  
The aim of the study was to evaluate the most prognostic important risk factors of low BMD 
in elderly women by using the method of questioning.  
Materials and methods.  There were 507 women examined (mean age 56,8 ± 8,3 years). Risk 
factors of osteoporosis were evaluated by the IOF questionnary, BMD of lumbar spine and hips was 
measured by dual energy X-ray absorbtiometry (Lunar Prodigy, GE, USA). Statistical analisis was 
perfomed using the software Statistic 6.0  
Results. The analysis of obtained data revealed the most prognostic important for low BMD 
questions (fig 1): question №1 - Have either of your parents been diagnosed with osteoporosis or 
broken a bone after a minor fall (a fall from standing height or less); question №4 - Have you ever 
broken a bone after a minor fall, as an adult??; question №6 - After the age of 40, have you lost 
more than 3 cm in height ? 
 
42,3
30,8
23,1
33,7
16,3
18,3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Вопрос №1 Вопрос №4 Вопрос №6
Остеопороз
Остеопения
Норма
 
Figure 1 – the incidence of affirmative answers in groups with different meanings of BMD. 
 
The answers to the rest questions were the same in different groups (questions 9-10 and 12-
18) or the amount of the affirmative answers were so small that these questions couldn’t be included 
in statistical analysis (questions № 3, 7, 8, 14, 15). The specificy of the model of prognosis of 
probability of decreased BMD consisted 97%, in other word, the probability not to administer bone 
densitometry to the patient with low BMD using this model is 3%. 
 
Conclusion: the most prognostic important risk factors of low BMD are family history of 
low trauma fractures, fragility fractures in anamnesis and decreasing of height for 3 and more cm 
after age of 40. The method can be used widely in clinical practice to reveal individuals with the 
risk of low BMD for their further examination and treatment.