Prevalence of vertebral fractures in a population-based sample in Japan.

In order to compare the prevalence of vertebral fractures in caucasian American and Japanese women, we examined the occurrence of vertebral fractures in a population of 1092 female residents of Yamanashi prefecture who participated in a screening program for osteoporosis. The relationship between vertebral fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) of the second metacarpal bone was also studied. Our findings regarding the prevalence of vertebral fractures in Yamanashi agreed strongly with the findings of previous reports in Japan. The prevalence of vertebral fractures was equal or lower among women in Japan compared with caucasians in Minnesota aged from 50 to 60 years. A comparison of the fracture and non-fracture groups revealed significant differences in age, height, and metacarpal BMD. However, after correction for age, no significant difference was found between the two groups.