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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Low bone mineral density is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction in men and women
P Wiklund1, A Nordström, J-H Jansson
1Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Sports Medicine, Umeå University, 90185 Umeå, Sweden.
Insights
Lower bone mineral density (BMD) is linked to a higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in both men and women. This association persists even after accounting for common cardiovascular risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The connection between bone mineral density (BMD) and cardiovascular disease remains incompletely understood.
- This prospective study aimed to explore the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in relation to BMD.
- The research also sought to determine if traditional cardiovascular risk factors could explain the observed association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and the risk of myocardial infarction (MI).
- To assess whether cardiovascular risk factors mediate or confound the relationship between BMD and MI.
- To analyze these associations separately in men and women.
Main Methods:
- Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure total hip and femoral neck BMD in 5,490 women and 1,382 men.
- Participants were followed prospectively for a mean of 5.7 years, during which incident myocardial infarctions (MIs) were recorded.
- Statistical analyses, including hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs), were performed after adjusting for various covariates.
Main Results:
- Lower BMD at the femoral neck and total hip was significantly associated with an increased risk of MI in both men and women.
- These associations remained largely independent of age and BMI.
- Further adjustment for smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes showed only slight attenuation of the risk estimates in men and women.
Conclusions:
- Reduced bone mineral density is a significant risk factor for myocardial infarction in both sexes.
- The observed association between lower BMD and increased MI risk is robust and not substantially explained by common cardiovascular risk factors.
- Women consistently exhibited lower hazard ratios compared to men across all models.
Unlabelled:
The association between bone mineral density (BMD) and myocardial infarction (MI) was investigated in 6,872 men and women. For both men and women, lower BMD in the femoral neck and hip was associated with increased risk of MI largely independent of smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes.
Introduction:
The relationship between BMD and cardiovascular disease is not completely understood. The objective of this prospective study was to investigate the risk of MI in relation to bone mineral density and to determine if cardiovascular risk factors could explain this association.
Methods:
Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed in 5,490 women and 1,382 men to determine total hip and femoral neck BMD (in grams per square centimeters) and estimate femoral neck volumetric BMD (in grams per cubic centimeters). During a mean follow-up time of 5.7 years, 117 women and 79 men suffered an initial MI.
Results:
After adjustment for age and BMI, lower BMD of the femoral neck and total hip was associated with increased risk of MI for both women [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.66 per standard deviation (SD) decrease in femoral neck BMD] and men (HR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.34-2.28 per SD decrease in total hip BMD). After additional adjustment for smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes, the associations were slightly attenuated in men (HR = 1.42-1.88 in the age and BMI-adjusted model versus 1.33-1.77 in the fully adjusted model) while similar attenuations were seen in women (HR = 1.06-1.25 versus 1.05-1.22).
Conclusion:
Lower BMD was associated with an increase in MI risk for both men and women. Women had consistently lower HRs compared to men in all models. Adjusting for smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes did not distinctively weaken these associations.
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