Impacts of osteoporosis on quality of life in elderly women

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis, the most common pathological cause of skeletal weakening and the most common metabolic bone disease, is caused by loss of bone mass density (BMD). Fractures due to osteoporosis will worsen life, increase pain, and decrease quality of life. The present study aimed to determine the impact of osteoporosis on quality of life among elderly women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 275 postmenopausal women (age: 50-70 years) who were referred to the Namazi Hospital (Shiraz, Iran) were included. BMD was measured according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Women with BMD < -2.5 standard deviation (SD) of the average value in young adults were defined as osteoporosis cases. Women with BMD > 1 SD of the average value were defined as normal cases. Quality of life was measured by Qualeffo-41 Questionnaire and reported on a scale of 100. Data was analyzed in SPSS and P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The mean quality of life score was 25.5 ± 11.7. According to the definition by the WHO, 70.2% of the participants were affected with osteoporosis. Only 22.3% of osteoporotic women and 30.5% of normal subjects had good quality of life. A significant statistical difference was observed between osteoporotic and normal postmenopausal women in social activities. Overweight and low education were predictors of poor quality of life in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The imposed financial burden and complications of osteoporosis can affect the patients’ quality of life. Health education regarding nutritional behaviors and social activities at adolescence are helpful interventions for decreasing the prevalence of the disease. Since osteoporosis has a gradual, outward, and asymptomatic trend, more attention needs to be paid to preventive and screening programs.