Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was associated with generalized as well as periarticular osteoporosis. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in 53 female patients with RA. We investigated BMD of lumbar (II-IV) and radius, the BMD corrected by age-matched female, total bone mineral (TBM) and TBM/total lean mass. The BMD of lumbar did not correlate with the disease stage, the activities and the laboratory findings. But the BMD of radius and total body was lower in stage IV than in stage I-III and it was also lower in patients with low grasping score. In laboratory findings, the BMD was lower in patients with decreased CD45RA+CD4 cells and/or increased CD8+HLA•DR cells. This data suggested that there was a association between the abnormal function of lymphocytes and the osteoporosis in RA.
