Association between Fractures and Low Muscle Mass in Korean Menopausal Women: Data from Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (2010-2011).

Objectives: This study used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to determine the association between fractures and low muscle mass.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the 2010-2011 KNHANES data. Low muscle mass was defined as (appendicular skeletal muscle mass [kg]/Height² [m²]) < 5.45 kg/m², which is < 2 SD below the sex-specific mean of a young reference group. Patients with T-scores between -1.0 and -2.5 indicated osteopenia, whereas those with T-scores lower than -2.5 indicated osteoporosis.

Results: Out of 1,306 women enrolled in the study, 330 were diagnosed with low muscle mass according to the abovementioned diagnostic criterion. The prevalence of fractures at various sites was significantly higher in postmenopausal women with low muscle mass than in those without low muscle mass (relative risk [RR], 1.64; odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-2.48; = 0.027). Furthermore, the prevalence of fractures was increased by the presence of osteopenia or osteoporosis in addition to low muscle mass (RR, 1.59; OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.02-2.49; = 0.039) and by osteoporosis only (RR, 2.12; OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.11-4.70; = 0.025).

Conclusions: Fracture was more prevalent in postmenopausal women with low muscle mass than in those without low muscle mass. This finding is consistent in a subgroup analysis that included women who had osteoporosis or osteopenia. Moreover, the risk of fractures increased as low muscle mass worsened.