Osteoporosis in the Japanese Population

Masako Ito; Akifumi Nishida; Masataka Uetani; Kuniaki Hayashi

doi:10.1055/s-2001-15664

Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology, Table of Contents

Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2001; 05(2): 121-126
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-15664

Osteoporosis in the Japanese Population

Masako Ito, Akifumi Nishida, Masataka Uetani, Kuniaki Hayashi

Department of Radiology, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The characteristic of osteoporosis in the Japanese population is different from that in the Caucasian population. The different incidence of vertebral and hip fracture may be related to both genetic and lifestyle factors. In the aspect of genetics, approximately 77% of the Japanese have the bb genotype of the vitamin D receptor gene, which is considered to be associated with higher bone mass and lower bone turnover than the Bb genotype. The incidence of vertebral fracture is significantly lower in the younger birth cohorts in both genders. However, the total number of hip fractures rapidly grows as the elderly population increases in Japan. It may be explained by some epidemiological studies that the traditional Japanese lifestyle may prevent hip fractures in the Japanese elderly. The knowledge of the differences of osteoporosis between Caucasian and Japanese people must contribute to the prevention of osteoporosis and its complications.

KEYWORD

Osteoporosis - fracture - bone mineral density

Full Text

References

REFERENCES

1 Orimo H, Yosoda Y, Fujiwara S. Hip fracture incidence in Japan. J Bone Miner Metab . 1991; 9 89-93
2 Orimo H, Hashimoto T, Shiraki M. Nationwide incidence survey of femoral neck fracture in Japan. J Bone Miner Metab . 1992; 15 100-106
3 Melton K LJ, O'Fallon W M, Riggs B L. Secular trends in the incidence of hip fracture. Calcif Tiss Int . 1987; 41 57-64
4 Kelly P J, Pocock N A, Sambrook P N, Eisman J A. Dietary calcium, sex hormones and bone mineral density in men. Br Med J . 1990; 300 1361-1364
5 Pocock N A, Eisman J A, Yeates M G, Sambrook P N, Eberl S. Physical fitness is a major determinant of femoral neck and lumbar spine bone mineral density. J Clin Invest . 1986; 78 618-621
6 Eisman J A, Sambrook P N, Kelly P J, Pocock N A. Exercise and its interaction with genetic influences in the determination of bone mineral density. Am J Med . 1991; 91 5S-9S
7 Silverman S L, Madison R E. Decreased incidence of hip fracture in Hispanics, Asians, and Blacks: California hospital discharge data. Am J Public Health . 1988; 78 1482-1483
8 Morrison N A, Tokita A, Kelly P J. Prediction of bone density from vitamin D receptor alleles. Nature . 1994; 367 284-287
9 Tokita A, Matsumoto H, Morrison N A. Vitamin D receptor alleles, bone mineral density and turnover in premenopausal Japanese women. J Bone Miner Res . 1996; 11 1003-1009
10 Ito M, Lang T F, Jergas M. Spinal trabecular bone loss and fracture in American and Japanese women. Calcif Tiss Int . 1997; 61 123-128
11 Russell-Aulet M, Wang J, Thornton J, Colt E WD, Pierson R N. Bone mineral density and mass by total-body dual-photon absorptiometry in normal white and Asian men. J Bone Miner Res . 1991; 6 1109-1113
12 Kin K, Lee J HE, Kushida K. Bone density and body composition on the Pacific Rim: a comparison between Japan-born and U.S.-born Japanese-American women. J Bone Miner Res . 1993; 8 861-869
13 Ito M, Nakamura T, Tsurusaki K, Uetani M, Hayashi K. Effect of menopause on age-dependent bone loss in axial and appendicular skeletons in healthy Japanese women was investigated. Osteopor Int . 1998; 10 377-383
14 Firooznia H, Golimbu C, Rafii M, Schwartz M. Rate of spinal trabecular bone loss in normal perimenopausal women: CT measurement. Radiology . 1986; 161 735-738
15 Ruegsegger P, Dambacher M A, Ruegsegger E, Fischer J A. Bone loss in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. J Bone Joint Surg . 1984; 66A 1015-1023
16 Tremollieres F A, Pouilles J, Ribot C. Vertebral postmenopausal bone loss is reduced in overweight women: a longitudinal study in 155 early postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 1993; 77 683-686
17 Fujiwara S, Mizuno S, Ochi Y. The incidence of thoracic vertebral fractures in a Japanese population. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1958-86. J Clin Epidemiol . 1991; 44 1007-1014
18 Ross P D, Fujiwara S, Huang C. Vertebral fracture prevalence in women in Hiroshima compared to Caucasians or Japanese in the US. Int J Epidemiol . 1995; 24 1171-1177
19 Fujiwara S, Ross P D, Huang C. Predictors of bone mass differ between native Japanese and Japanese-Americans, and between birth cohorts [abstract]. Presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Osteoporosis, Hong Kong, 1993
20 Huang C, Ross P D, Fujiwara S. Determinants of vertebral fracture prevalence among native Japanese women and women of Japanese descent living in Hawaii. Bone . 1996; 18 437-442
21 Hagiwara S, Miki T, Nishizawa Y, Ochi H, Onoyama Y, Morii H. Quantification of bone mineral content using dual-photon absorptiometry in a normal Japanese population. J Bone Miner Res . 1989; 4 217-222
22 Silverman S L, Madison R E. Decreased incidence of hip fracture in Hispanics, Asians, and Blacks: California hospital discharge data. Am J Public Health . 1988; 78 1482-1483
23 Yano K, Wasnich R, Vogel J M, Heibrun L K. Bone mineral measurements among middle-aged and elderly Japanese residents an Hawaii. Am J Epidemiol . 1984; 119 751-764
24 Yamamoto K, Nakamura T, Kishimoto H, Hagino H, Nose T. Risk factors for hip fracture in elderly Japanese women in Tottori prefecture. Jpn Osteopor Int . 1993 (suppl 1); 3 (S48-50)
25 Gallagher J C, Melton L J, Riggs B L, Bergstrath E. Epidemiology of fractures of the proximal femur in Rochester, Minnesota. Clin Orthop . 1980; 150 163-171
26 Ross P D, Norimatsu H, Davis J W. A comparison of hip fracture incidence among native Japanese, Japanese Americans and American Caucasians. Am J Epidemiol . 1991; 133 801-809
27 Suzuki T, Yoshida H, Hashimoto T. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the Japanese elderly by a Mediterranean osteoporosis study (MEDOS) questionnaire. Bone . 1997; 21 461-467
28 Johnell O, Gullberg B, Kanis J A. Risk factors for hip fracture in European women: the MEDOS study. J Bone Miner Res . 1995; 10 1802-1815
29 Fujiwara S, Kasagi F, Yamada M, Kodama K. Risk factors for hip fracture in a Japanese cohort. J Bone Miner Res . 1997; 12 998-1004
30 Paganimi-Hill A, Ross R, Gerkins U R. Menopausal estrogen, therapy, and hip farctures. Ann Intern Med . 1981; 95 28-31
31 Cummings S R, Nevitt M C, Browner W S. Risk factors for hip fracture in white women. N Engl J Med . 1995; 332 767-773
32 Davis J W, Novotny R, Ross P D, Wasnich R D. The peak bone mass of Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese and white women living in Hawaii. Calcif Tiss Int . 1994; 55 249-252
33 Dennison E, Yoshimura N, Hashimoto T, Cooper C. Bone loss in Great Britain and Japan: a comparative longitudinal study. Bone . 1998; 23 379-382
34 Nakamura T, Turner C H, Yoshikawa T. Do variations in hip geometry explain differences in hip fracture risk between Japanese and white Americans?. J Bone Miner Res . 1994; 7 1071-1076
35 Aoyagi K, Ross P D, Davis J W. Falls among community-dwelling elderly in Japan. J Bone Miner Res . 1998; 13 1468-1474