Neonatal screening for hypothyroidism at a university hospital in Thailand.

Neonatal screening is an essential program for early identification of congenital hypothyroidism. Between July 1991 and May 1998, 37, 262 infants born at Chulalongkorn Hospital were enrolled to the screening program. Blood TSH levels were determined on infants at > or = 48 hours after birth.

Prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in Thai women.

Objective: To determine the age-specific and age-adjusted prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in pre- and postmenopausal Thai women.

Methods: This was a descriptive study of 1,935 Thai women ranging in age from 40 to 80 years, with randomly selected strata using multistage sampling and stratifying from six representative provinces of the country. After recruiting, all the women were interviewed by a well-trained interviewer using structured questionnaires.

Bone mineral density of lumbar spine and proximal femur in normal Thai women.

Objective: To find the reference data for age-specific normal bone mineral density in a Thai female population.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, Descriptive study.

Material And Method: 1773 Thai women aged between 11-80 years were recruited, using multistage cluster sampling and stratifying from six represented provinces in the country, each strata was randomly selected.

Bone loss in oophorectomized Thai women.

This prospective analysis was done in 95 postmenopausal women to observe bone loss rate between 59 natural and 36 surgical menopausal women with or without hormonal replacement therapy (HRT). Bone mass measurement was performed at lumbar spines (L1-L4) and hip by dual energy X-ray absorptiometer at 0, 6 and 12 months. The results revealed that in the non-HRT group there was significant faster bone loss rate of lumbar spines (LS) and hip (H) of the surgical group at 12 months (Natural group: LS = -1.

Correlation of bone mineral density among various measurement sites.

Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and hip was studied in 1,047 women visiting the menopause clinic, to assess the correlation of BMD among various measurement sites. Bone mass measurement was performed utilizing dual energy X-ray absorptiometer (DEXA), Hologic QDR 2000. The results revealed a significantly high correlation of BMD of total hip and spine.