Bone mineral density in university aged Saudi females

Objective: the aim of the study was to investigate bone mineral density (bmd) in young saudi females (20-25 years) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (dxa), as it is a widely utilized modality for the measurement of bmd, used for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia. methods: bmd measurements were performed in the spine and the neck of the femur in 101 young females. results: 37% and 34% patients had osteopenia in the spine and the neck of the femur respectively, bmd values = 0.98 and 0.81 gm/cm2 respectively). whereas 5% had osteoporosis in the spine area, bmd values = 0.82 gm/cm2). of the 101 subjects, 53 (52.5%) young females did not suffer from osteopenia in either both site, whereas 23 (22.7%) females had osteopenia in both sites, the remaining 25 subjects (25% of the subject included) had either osteopenia or osteoporosis in one of the sites. a strong association between bmd values with weight was found. conclusions: we found that one third of the young saudi females sampled suffer from osteopenia. additionally, body weight has a positive relationship with bone mineral density.