Bone diminution of osteoporotic females at different skeletal sites

The bone mineral density (BMD) of the radius and spine was determined by photo absorptiometry in a large number of controls (radius: n = 111; spine: n = 85; age range: 50-79 years) and osteoporotic women (radius: n = 98; spine n = 140; age range: 50-79 years) with at least one "atraumatic" vertebral compression fracture. Compared to age-matched controls, the BMD of the osteoporotic women showed the following diminutions: sixth decade: radius: -9.1%; spine: -25%; femur: -33%; seventh decade: radius: -16%; spine: -19%; femur: -23%; eighth decade: radius: -21%; spine: -20%; femur: -24%. The BMD was significantly diminished at all sites in all decades but in contrast to the radius, the difference from controls was bigger in the spine and femur in the sixth decade than in the seventh and eighth decade. In the osteoporotic women there was a significant correlation between radius BMD and age (r = -0.56; P less than 0.01) but not between spine or femoral BMD and age. The femoral neck BMD was also determined in a subset group of female controls (n = 68), patients with crush fractures of the spine without a fracture of the hip (n = 46), and in patients with fractures of the proximal femur (n = 21). There was no difference among these groups in mean age (64 +/- 7, range: 50-79 years). Patients with hip fracture and spine fracture showed bone diminution in all three regions that was significantly below controls (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)