The relationship between the proximal femur morphometry and bone mineral density in Turkish women

Hip fractures have high morbidity and mortality rate for patients as a complication of osteoporosis and is generally seen in elderly. It is known that the bone mineral density (BMD) and proximal femur morphometry are important determinants of fracture risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between BMD and proximal femur morphometry.

A total of 190 postmenopausal Turkish women were included in this retrospective study. The anthropometric and BMD measurements were recorded from the ''Osteoporosis Diagnosis Form'' of these women and the morphometric measurements (hip axis length, HAL; femoral neck axis length, FAL; femoral neck width, FW; femoral head width, HW; intertrochanteric width, TW and Q angle) were made on their radiographs. For statistical analysis the Pearson linear correlation was performed using SPSS 10.0 software.

The averages of anthropometric indices, femoral morphometric measurements and BMD were found to be: 61.86 years, 153.98 cm, 66.47 kg, 28.02 kg/m(2), 10.80 cm, 10.14 cm, 5.21 cm, 3.54 cm, 8.42 cm, 131.52 degree, 0.74 g/cm(2), 0.67 g/cm(2), 0.59 g/cm(2), 0.72 g/cm(2), and 0.08 g/cm(2) (age, height, weight, BMI, HAL, FAL, HW, FW, TW, Q angle, femoral neck BMD, trochanteric BMD, wards BMD, lumbar 1-4 BMD, total hip BMD) respectively. The positive correlations were found between the values of femoral neck, trochanteric and wards BMD and the values of HAL, FAL and HW. These femoral morphometric parameters did not show correlation with the values of total hip and lumbar 1-4 BMD.

These results suggest that there are positively correlations in the values of the proximal femoral morphometry and BMD.