Femoral BMD, Osteoporosis Linked to All-Cause Mortality Postmenopause

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on May 18, 2026.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, May 18, 2026 -- Femoral bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis are associated with all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online May 12 in Menopause.

Zheng Zhang, M.D., from the College of Clinical Medicine Qinghai University in Xining, China, and colleagues examined the prognostic value of BMD with regard to mortality in a study involving 2,977 postmenopausal women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005 to 2018). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess BMD at four femoral sites.

The researchers found that mortality risk was significantly elevated when femoral BMD reached the osteoporotic threshold or in the presence of osteoporotic fractures in a Kaplan-Meier analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for BMD at all femoral sites was greater than that for body mass index (area under the curve, 0.591). Osteoporosis was associated with increased mortality risk after full adjustment (hazard ratio, 1.47). An inverse correlation was seen for site-specific BMD with mortality risk. A stronger inverse association was seen between increased BMD and mortality risk within specific ranges: 0.46 to 0.71 g/cm2 for total femur BMD and 0.33 to 0.54 g/cm2 for trochanter BMD.

"Osteoporosis often remains a silent threat after menopause, despite its profound effect on women's lives -- from loss of height, poor balance, and reduced mobility to disfigurement, pain, and even premature death," Monica Christmas, M.D., associate medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-05-19 02:40

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