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Related Experiment Videos

Osteoporosis in a population from medieval Norway.

S Mays1, G Turner-Walker, U Syversen

  • 1Ancient Monuments Laboratory, English Heritage Centre for Archaeology, Eastney, Portsmouth PO4 9LD, UK. simon.mays@english-heritage.org.uk

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|April 25, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Medieval Norwegians and English had similar bone density, but Norwegian women experienced more fractures. Modern differences in bone mineral density (BMD) likely emerged recently.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleopathology
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Skeletal Biology

Background:

  • Modern Norwegian and English populations exhibit disparities in bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis-related fractures.
  • This study investigates whether similar differences existed during the Middle Ages.

Observation:

  • Bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femur was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in adult skeletons from medieval Trondheim, Norway.
  • Fracture prevalence was also assessed and compared to a skeletal series from medieval Wharram Percy, England.

Findings:

  • Peak BMD and age-related BMD loss patterns were similar between the Norwegian and English medieval populations.
  • However, osteoporotic fractures were more prevalent in females from the Norwegian skeletal series compared to the English.

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  • These findings suggest that significant differences in BMD between Norwegians and English are a recent phenomenon.

    • Implications:

    • The study indicates that observed BMD differences between Norwegian and English populations are likely of recent origin.
    • The higher fracture prevalence in medieval Norwegian women may be linked to environmental factors like colder climates and harder surfaces, increasing fall frequency and fracture risk.
    • Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the reasons for sex-specific fracture disparities.