Men who smoke are more likely to have osteoporosis and fractures of their vertebrae than women who smoke, according to a recent study.

Researchers found that men accounted for 55 percent of the smokers with low bone density and 60 percent of those with vertebral fractures. Smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were independent risk factors for low bone density among both men and women in the study.

"Our findings suggest that current and past smokers of both genders should be screened for osteoporosis," Elizabeth Regan, assistant professor of medicine at National Jewish Health, said in a statement. "Expanding screening to include men with a smoking history and starting treatment in those with bone disease may prevent fractures, improve quality of life and reduce health care costs."

For the study, researchers evaluated more than 3,000 current and ex-smokers between the ages of 45 and 80, with a minimum of 10 pack-years of smoking history using quantitative CT to assess bone density. Overall, 11 percent of the study participants had normal bone density, 31 percent had intermediate bone density, and 58 percent had low bone density. Thirty-seven percent of the participants had one or more fractures of their vertebrae.

Low-bone density increased in prevalence with worsening COPD, rising to 84 percent among severe COPD patients of both genders. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States and up to 49 percent of the population over 45 is a current or ex-smoker.

Each additional pack-year of smoking raised the odds of having low bone density by 0.4 percent. The participants with normal bone density had an average of 36.6 pack-year of smoking, while those with low bone density had an average of 46.9 pack-years of smoking history.

"The growing use of CT scans to screen heavy smokers for lung cancer may provide an opportunity to use the same scans for bone density screening in this high-risk population," Regan said.

The findings are detailed in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.