Osteoarthritis of the hip and osteoporosis of the proximal femur

Article Abstract:

Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are both diseases that occur more often in older people. Osteoporosis is characterized by calcium loss from bone with a resulting risk of fractures, while the disease processes contributing to the joint destruction, pain, and disability of osteoarthritis are not as clear. Some studies have suggested that patients with hip fractures tend not to have osteoarthritis, while other studies have not found a clear difference in bone density in people with or without osteoarthritis. Bone density varies at different bony sites, however, so this relation was examined more closely by evaluating bone density in the femoral neck (top of the thigh bone) of 314 subjects (104 female, 209 male) over 50 years. The presence of osteoarthritis in the hip joint was also assessed. The group of subjects were chosen because they were being X-rayed for evaluation of abdominal conditions. The expected number of subjects with graded severities of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis were calculated, and the actual number in each group was determined. There were fewer subjects than expected who had both conditions and a greater number of subjects than expected who had only one of the disorders. This negative association between the disorders was significant, regardless of age or gender. Factors that might contribute in opposite fashions to the two disorders are discussed, including estrogen levels, physical activity, body weight, and bone response to mechanical stress. While the findings indicate that osteoarthritis of the hip and osteoporosis of the femur do not occur together, further study is needed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Abnormalities, Demographic aspects, Osteoporosis, Hip, Femur

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Lateral bone density measurements in osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine

Article Abstract:

Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements of the spine taken from the side in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) may be more accurate but more technically difficult than BMD measurements taken from the front to the back. BMD is a measurement of mineral concentration in bone calculated from X-rays. Researchers compared the BMD measurements and scores for disease progression as measured from both angles in 63 women with suspected OA. BMD measurements taken from the front to the back were significantly higher (0.92 grams per square centimeter) than those measurements taken from the side (0.59 g/cm2). Scores for disease progression were higher with increasing BMD measurements when measured from the front to the back but not when measured from the side.

Bones, Development and progression, Bone density, Spine

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Does location of vertebral deformity within the spine influence back pain and disability?

Article Abstract:

The amount of disability from back pain may depend on the location of the abnormal vertebra that is causing the pain, according to a study of 7,530 women and 6,449 men between the ages of 50 and 79. In men, non-adjacent vertebral deformities were linked to disability but in women, adjacent deformities were more likely to cause disability.

Causes of, Physiological aspects, Backache, Back pain, Disability, Disabilities

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