Register for Femoral bone mineral density can predict the long-term risk for bone fracture
MenopauseMarch 20, 2003
2003 MAR 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Femoral bone mineral density can predict the long-term risk for bone fracture.
According to recent research from the United States, "long-term fracture prediction using bone mineral density remains controversial, as does the additional contribution from assessing bone turnover or clinical risk factors."
"We measured bone mineral density at various sites; along with biochemical markers of bone turnover; sex steroid levels; and over 100 clinical variables, at baseline on an age-stratified sample of 304 Rochester, Minnesota women in 1980," stated L.J. Melton and colleagues, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Department of Health Science Research.
"The 225 postmenopausal women were subsequently followed for 3146 person-years (median; 16.2 years per subject), wherein they experienced 302 new fractures: 81% resulted from minimal or moderate trauma and 60% of these involved the proximal femur, thoracic or lumbar vertebrae, or distal forearm."
"Accounting for multiple fractures per subject, these osteoporotic fractures together were best predicted by baseline femoral neck bone mineral density (age-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] per SD decrease, 1.37; 95% CI; 1:10-1.70); 19 moderate trauma forearm fractures were best predicted by distal radius bone mineral content; whereas 28 hip fractures and 100 vertebral fractures were best predicted by femoral neck bone mineral density," according to the investigators.
"Femoral neck bone mineral density performed comparably in predicting osteoporotic fracture risk within the first decade of follow-up (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10-1.74) as well as more than 10 years after baseline (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05-1.84)."
"The older biochemical markers were not associated with fractures, but serum free estradiol index was independently predictive of short- and long-term fracture risk. Consistent clinical risk factors were not identified, but statistical power was limited," researchers indicated.
"Identifying patients at increased long-term risk of fracture is challenging, but it is reassuring that femoral neck bone mineral density can predict osteoporotic fractures up to 20 years later," they wrote.
Melton and colleagues published their study in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (Relative contributions of bone density, bone turnover, and clinical risk factors to long-term fracture prediction. J Bone Miner Res, 2003;18(2):312-318).
For additional information, contact L.J. Melton, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Department of Health Science Research, Division of Epidemiology, 200 1st St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
To subscribe to the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, contact the publisher: American Society Bone & Mineral Research, 2025 M St., N W, Ste. 800, Washington, DC 20036-3309, USA.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of Osteoporosis, Menopause, and Women's Health. This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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