Table 3
Characteristics of subjects referred with a single criterion for bone densitometry; values are mean (SD) unless stated otherwise
| Referral criteria | Female (n) | Male (n) | Age (years) | BMI (kg/m2) | Spine Z score | Osteoporosis (%) | Osteopenia (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMD, bone mineral density; BMI, body mass index; RCP, Royal College of Physicians. | |||||||
| †p⩽0.001, ‡p = 0.008 compared with mean age of rest of women referred for scans; ***p⩽0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05, and #p = 0.065 represent the significances of differences of the mean spine Z score from 0 (T test). | |||||||
| RCP criteria | 116 | 31 | 49.1(11.6) | 26.1(5.4) | −0.47(1.38)*** | 19.7 | 38.8 |
| Osteopenia | 17 | 3 | 54.5(7.1) | 24.3(5.0) | −0.97(1.29)** | 45 | 40 |
| Oestrogen deficiency | 26 | – | 45.2(11.2)† | 25.7(5.3) | −0.58(1.13)* | 15.4 | 42.3 |
| Associated diseases | 11 | 10 | 38.8(13.4)† | 26.5(7.0) | −0.58(1.35)# | 9.5 | 38.1 |
| Fractures | 27 | 3 | 54.0(9.4) | 26.2(4.7) | −0.38(1.44) | 23.3 | 33.3 |
| Corticosteroid users | 29 | 14 | 49.8(10.5) | 26.7(5.8) | −0.28(1.40) | 14 | 41.9 |
| Kyphosis | 6 | 1 | 52.9(10.4) | 27.2(2.4) | 0.21(2.12) | 14.3 | 28.6 |
| Non-RCP criteria | 185 | 2 | 51.4(7.3) | 26.2(5.2) | 0.35(1.41)*** | 6.4 | 34.2 |
| Perimenopausal | 122 | – | 52.4(4.7 | 26.0(4.4) | 0.37(1.24)*** | 4.9 | 34.4 |
| Miscellaneous | 40 | 1 | 46.0(10.9) | 27.0(7.5) | −0.13(1.39) | 12.2 | 34.1 |
| Back pain | 4 | 1 | 53.2(5.9) | 28.8(5.4) | 0.92(1.76) | 0 | 20.0 |
| Treated without BMD | 19 | 0 | 56.0(5.8)‡ | 24.9(3.6) | 1.08(1.99)* | 5.3 | 36.8 |
