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Alcohol dependence, smoking status, reproductive characteristics, and bone mineral density in premenopausal women
Author(s) -
Clark Kathleen,
Sowers MaryFran R.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-240x(199610)19:5<399::aid-nur4>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - bone mineral , medicine , bone density , environmental health , demography , obstetrics , gynecology , osteoporosis , sociology
Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck in 25 women who were alcohol dependent (case subjects) and 25 control subjects, matched for age, height, and weight was compared. Mean bone mineral density was 6.8% lower at the femoral neck and 6.9% lower at the lumbar spine in case subjects ( p ≤ 0.05). Some of that difference may be attributed to cigarette smoking. Eighty‐six percent of the cases and 44% of controls smoked. When smoking was controlled through comparison of pairs concordant on smoking status, the difference in bone mineral density between cases and controls diminished and was not significantly different. Cases were most likely to report episodes of nonpregnancy related amenorrhea and to have experienced their first pregnancy at age 16 years or younger. These findings suggest that, while women who were alcohol dependent had lower bone mineral density than those who were not, smoking behavior and reproductive characteristics may explain some of that difference. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.