A study of bone density in black women with hip fractures

Fracture of the hip in black women is not a common injury. The cause of this decreased incidence is commonly stated to be the relative increase in density of the bones in black women as compared with whites. To test this hypothesis we studied the x-rays of 101 black women who had hip fractures. We found that there was a decrease in the mineral content of bone as measured by the Singh Index. We also studied the degree of kyphosis and found that this was increased over a control group. This study does not refute the lower incidence of hip fracture in black women but simply points out that when these fractures do occur, they occur in osteopenic bone.