ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of non-responder to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and to evaluate the bone response to HRT according to basal bone mineral density(BMD) in postmenopausal women. METHODS: A total of 211 postmenopausal women received either continuous combined estrogen-progestogen replacement (n=112) or estrogen replacement (n=99) for 1 years. BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) before and 1 year after HRT. RESULTS: The incidence of non-responder (women with > 3% bone loss per year) to HRT was 9.2% in the lumbar spine, and 23.8% in femoral neck. Estrogen replacement group had a higher incidence of non-responder than combined replacement group. Non-responder group had a higher basal BMD at the lumbar spine than responder group, and showed bone loss rate of 7.6% per year. After 1 year of HRT, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis showed a higher rate of increase in BMD at the lumbar sine and femoral neck than women with normal BMD or osteopenia. CONCLUSION: The non-responders to HRT have a higher basal lumbar BMD, compared with responders. The higher basal BMD at the lumbar spine is, the less bone conservation effect of HRT is.