Resumen

NASILLO, Alex; NASILLO, Viviana; BRACHO, Elsy  y  LOAIZA, Francys. Procedencia del medio rural como un factor de riesgo para la aparición de Osteoporosis: utilidad del ultrasonido del tobillo para el despistaje inicial. Rev. Venez. Endocrinol. Metab. [online]. 2007, vol.5, n.1, pp.08-13. ISSN 1690-3110.

Abstract Objectives: The present investigation had for aim the identification and diagnoses of osteoporosis, in a group of habitants from a rural area of Los Taques, in Falcon state. Methods: All patients presented two or more risk factors for the development of osteoporosis previous to the study. In order to identify the presence of osteoporosis, an ultrasound of the ankle (AS) was employed, and to confirm the previous diagnosis, a dual ray densitometer (DEXA) of the hip was utilized. Results: It was found that there is a larger number of people with positive AS in the rural area (67%) than in urban areas (33%), p<0.005. A significant correlation between the positive results obtained with the AS and those obtained with DEXA of the hip was found, (p<0.05). The most prevalent risk factors found were: being older than 60years of age, have a background of menopause that have not been treated, weight lighter than 60kg, and a lack consume of milk. To sum up, it was found that rural area, specifically Los Taques, is a very important risk factor for osteoporosis that should be considered when choosing patients to diagnose osteoporosis. In our study, we have also demonstrated that ultrasound of the ankle is a very reliable tool when we compare it with DEXA of hip, which is “the standard gold instrument for the diagnosis of osteoporosis “. Conclusions: We will like to make a call to the local authorities to introduce preventive measures in areas like Los Taques to identify early and treat osteoporosis. More research needs to be done under similar conditions, in order to confirm these kinds of findings.

Palabras clave : Diagnosis; osteoporosis; rural area; risk factors; ankle ultrasound; dual ray densitometry.