Skip to main content
PMC home page
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1988 Aug;47(8):660–664. doi: 10.1136/ard.47.8.660

Spinal trabecular bone mineral content in patients with non-steroid treated rheumatoid arthritis.

J E Compston 1, E O Crawley 1, C Evans 1, M M O'Sullivan 1
PMCID: PMC1006718  PMID: 3415365

Abstract

Spinal trabecular bone mineral content was measured in the first, second, and third lumbar vertebrae by quantitative computed tomography in 88 patients with non-steroid treated rheumatoid arthritis. Results were compared with those obtained in 105 healthy control subjects. The mean bone mineral content in the patient group, 135.8 (SD 32.8) mg/ml K2HOP4, was significantly lower than that in the controls (151.9 (32.1) mg/ml, p less than 0.01). Division of patients and controls into three age groups showed that the reduction in bone mineral content was most marked in the youngest age group (21-40 years), the mean value in male patients being significantly lower than in controls (149.6 (51.3) v 171.7 (23.9) mg/ml K2HPO4, p less than 0.05); in female patients in this age group the corresponding values were 160 (26.1) v 178.4 (22.0) mg/ml, 0.05 less than p less than 0.1). No significant difference in mean values between patients and controls was found in the other age groups. Of the 88 patients, six (7%) had abnormally low values, defined as a bone mineral content greater than 2 SD below the normal mean. One vertebral crush fracture was found in one patient but not in any of the controls. No correlation was found between bone mineral content and body weight, duration of disease, or disability as assessed by the London and Steinbroker methods. These results demonstrate a lower spinal trabecular bone mineral content in non-steroid treated patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in age and sex matched controls, the difference being most marked in younger patients. The finding of abnormally low values in 7% of the patients indicates a slightly increased prevalence of spinal osteoporosis in these patients.

Full text

PDF
664

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bjelle A. O., Nilsson B. E. Osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Calcif Tissue Res. 1970;5(4):327–332. doi: 10.1007/BF02017562. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CURTISS P. H., Jr, CLARK W. S., HERNDON C. H. Vertebral fractures resulting from prolonged cortisone and corticotropin therapy. J Am Med Assoc. 1954 Oct 2;156(5):467–469. doi: 10.1001/jama.1954.02950050007002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cann C. E., Genant H. K. Precise measurement of vertebral mineral content using computed tomography. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1980 Aug;4(4):493–500. doi: 10.1097/00004728-198008000-00018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Castillo B. A., el Sallab R. A., Scott J. T. Physical activity, cystic erosions, and osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1965 Nov;24(6):522–527. doi: 10.1136/ard.24.6.522. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Christiansen C., Rodbro P. Skeletal status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Acta Med Scand. 1975 Dec;198(6):453–454. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1975.tb19574.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Duncan H., Frost H. M., Villanueva A. R., Sigler J. W. The osteoporosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1965 Oct;8(5):943–954. doi: 10.1002/art.1780080504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Genant H. K., Cann C. E., Ettinger B., Gordan G. S. Quantitative computed tomography of vertebral spongiosa: a sensitive method for detecting early bone loss after oophorectomy. Ann Intern Med. 1982 Nov;97(5):699–705. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-97-5-699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hahn T. J. Corticosteroid-induced osteopenia. Arch Intern Med. 1978 May 15;138(Spec No):882–885. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hajiroussou V. J., Webley M. Prolonged low-dose corticosteroid therapy and osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1984 Feb;43(1):24–27. doi: 10.1136/ard.43.1.24. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hancock D. A., Asiedu-Offei S., Atkinson P. J., Reed G. W., Wright V. Femoral bone mass in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthrosis. Rheumatol Rehabil. 1978 May;17(2):65–71. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/17.2.65. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kennedy A. C., Boddy K., Williams E. D., Elliott A. T., Harvey I., Holloway I., Haywood J. K. Whole body elemental composition during drug treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary study. Ann Rheum Dis. 1979 Apr;38(2):137–140. doi: 10.1136/ard.38.2.137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Krølner B., Pors Nielsen S. Measurement of bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine, I. Theory and application of a new two-dimensional dual-photon attenuation method. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1980;40(7):653–663. doi: 10.1080/00365518009091978. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mellish R. W., O'Sullivan M. M., Garrahan N. J., Compston J. E. Iliac crest trabecular bone mass and structure in patients with non-steroid treated rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1987 Nov;46(11):830–836. doi: 10.1136/ard.46.11.830. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Oka M., Rekonen A., Kuikka J., Anttinen J. Bone mineral density in rheumatoid arthritis measured by the gamma transmission method. Scand J Rheumatol. 1975;4(1):28–32. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Reid D. M., Kennedy N. S., Smith M. A., Tothill P., Nuki G. Total body calcium in rheumatoid arthritis: effects of disease activity and corticosteroid treatment. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982 Jul 31;285(6338):330–332. doi: 10.1136/bmj.285.6338.330. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Saville P. D., Kharmosh O. Osteoporosis of rheumatoid arthritis: influence of age, sex and corticosteroids. Arthritis Rheum. 1967 Oct;10(5):423–430. doi: 10.1002/art.1780100504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Verstraeten A., Dequeker J. Vertebral and peripheral bone mineral content and fracture incidence in postmenopausal patients with rheumatoid arthritis: effect of low dose corticosteroids. Ann Rheum Dis. 1986 Oct;45(10):852–857. doi: 10.1136/ard.45.10.852. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Virtama P., Helelä T., Kalliomäki J. L. Osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis. A follow-up study. Acta Rheumatol Scand. 1968;14(4):276–284. doi: 10.3109/rhe1.1968.14.issue-1-4.30. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES