Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and bone fracture risk assessed by the Fracture Risk Algoritham (FRAX) tool in mid-aged Korean women. Methods: Retrospectively, the study reviewed medical records of 1,975 female patients with or without MetS, who underwent routine medical checkups from 2010 to 2016 at Pusan National University Hospital. The MetS group included the patients who met diagnostic criteria for MetS based on the revised National Cholesterol Education Program reported in Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII), and the control group was composed of those patients without MetS. Each of the patients was assessed through self-report questionnaires and individual interview with a health care provider. The FRAX tool was used for bone fracture risk. Results: Univariate logistic regression analysis of various parameters for MetS showed increase in both FRAX1 and FRAX2 with odds ratio of 1.387 and 1.474 with P < 0.0001 each, respectively. Through Pearson's correlation coefficient study, correlation of patient's high-risk status of bone fracture with age was found. Multivariate analysis of such variables confirmed that only the age of patients was statistically significant in relationship to high-risk of fracture by FRAX tool. Conclusion: MetS was not significantly associated with the patient's high-risk status of bone fracture analyzed by using FRAX; however, the absolute values of FRAX scores were increased in MetS patients (FRAX1 = 4.10 and FRAX2 = 0.40%) compared to their control group (FRAX1 = 3.20% and FRAX2 = 0.20%).
Keywords: FRAX; bone fracture risk; metabolic syndrome.