Familial resemblance of bone mass in adult women

Bone mass may be so reduced in some individuals as to be characterized as osteoporotic, with resulting fracture, particularly of the proximal femur, vertebrae, or wrist. We identified 34 mother-daughter sets (n = 70) and 29 sibling sets (n = 59) from a community study of bone mass correlates to assess the degree of resemblance in bone mass within and between generations. We hypothesized that if between- and within-generation correlations of bone mass in first-degree relatives were of sufficient magnitude, then an important genetic influence in osteoporosis might be considered. Bone mass was measured at the distal radius using a single-beam photon absorptiometer. Height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, and mid-arm circumference were also measured, and the latter two measurements used to compute humeral muscle area. We identified a significant resemblance in height among the sibling sets. We found no consistent evidence for significant resemblance of bone mass among women when considering mother-daughter sets or sibling sets.