Cohort Profile: The Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study and the follow-up study
Abstract
With a globally ageing population, morbidity becomes both a clinical and a financial concern. Among the age-related diseases, osteoporosis imposes a heavy burden on individuals and society, in terms of both the cost of treatment and quality of life. Since osteoporosis is often termed a ‘silent disease’, i.e. its presence becomes evident only after a fracture occurs, it becomes important to be able to identify risk factors of osteoporosis and subsequent fracture. Osteoporosis is a complex disease with both genetic and environmental factors, where, particularly in combination, these factors contribute primarily to its overall aetiology. Although osteoporosis usually occurs at later stages of life, the bone mass of an individual (at any age) is a more important indicator of osteoporosis risk. For example, peak bone mass is reached at approximately 35 years of age and bone loss is observed to be more rapid during menopausal transition period. Many cohort studies investigating osteoporosis risk have focused on the elderly population, and there is also evidence of osteoporosis risk and fracture being related to ethnicity. The initial Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study (HKOS) therefore aimed to examine the genetic and environmental risk factors of osteoporosis-related traits in a broad age range (from 12 to 105 years) and to develop a risk prediction tool for osteoporosis and fracture in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Growing evidence shows that osteoporosis is not an isolated…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 9,449 participants or records.
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