☆ 4.6 Article

Prevalence of osteoporosis among North Korean women refugees living in South Korea: a comparative cross-sectional study

BMJ OPEN (2020)

Journal

BMJ OPEN

Volume 10, Issue 6, Pages -

Publisher

BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036230

Keywords

bone density; osteoporosis; democratic people's republic of korea; REPUBLIC OF KOREA; cross-sectional study

Funding

Korean Health Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea [HI14C2750]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Protocol

Community support

Reagent

Community support

Abstract

Objective To investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis among North Korean women refugees when compared with South Korean women, who have identical genetic backgrounds but experience different environments. Design Comparative cross-sectional study. Setting North Korean Refugee Health in South Korea (NORNS) study in South Korea. Participants We evaluated 122 North Korean women who participated in NORNS study and 366 age-matched/menopausal status-matched South Korean women from the Korea University Medical Center (KUMC) health examination cohort. The median age of the NORNS participants was 46 years (IQR, 40-60 years) with 52 women (42.6%) being postmenopausal. Results Among the postmenopausal women, NORNS participants had a higher body mass index and number of pregnancies and lower physical activity than the KUMC participants. The overall prevalence of osteoporosis was 48% (25/52) and 17% (27/156) in NORNS and KUMC participants, respectively. The bone mineral density (BMD) values at the lumbar spine, femur neck and total hip were significantly lower in postmenopausal NORNS women than in the postmenopausal KUMC women. Old age, low body weight and late age of menarche were associated with low BMD among the postmenopausal North Korean refugees. In premenopausal participants, the NORNS women had lower body weight and physical activity than the KUMC women at baseline. All the NORNS women had normal Z-scores, although the BMD at the lumbar spine was significantly lower in NORNS women than in the KUMC women (0.952 vs 1.002g/cm(2), p<0.001). Conclusions Osteoporosis is a prevalent health problem in postmenopausal North Korean women refugees living in South Korea. It is conceivable to prepare vigilant countermeasures for bone health deterioration in this growing population, especially for postmenopausal women. Further research is warranted to determine the cause of the differences between participants of the same ethnic group.

Authors

I am an author on this paper

Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6

Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty

Significance

Scientific rigor

Rate this paper

Vaccine temperature management in Lao People's Democratic Republic: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Tomomi Kitamura, Viraneth Bouakhasith, Kongxay Phounphenghack, Chansay Pathammavong, Anonh Xeuatvongsa, Akiko Kobayashi, Masataro Norizuki, Hironori Okabayashi, Shinsuke Miyano, Yoshio Mori, Makoto Takeda, Masaya Sugiyama, Masashi Mizokami, Munehito Machida, Masahiko Hachiya

Summary: This study evaluated the exposure of vaccines to suboptimal temperatures during transit from central storage to health centers in Laos. Findings showed that vaccines were exposed to temperatures above 8 degrees Celsius and below 0 degrees Celsius, with fluctuations in storage temperature. To prevent vaccine deterioration and disease outbreaks, the government should invest in technologies and approaches for consistent cold chain management.

HELIYON (2021)