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

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 numb

SUBMITTER: Kim KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7295412 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature