抄録
Generalized osteoporosis is often described in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) . The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) in the distal 1/3 and distal end sites of the forearm bone by dual X-ray bone absorptiometry and bone metabolic markers such as serum osteocalcin (s-BGP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and urine-hydroxyproline (Hp) . Thirty postmenopausal RA patients and sixtyone osteoarthritis (OA) patients, as age-matched control subjects, were investigated. In both the RA and OA groups, there was an inverse correlation between BMD at 1/3 distal radius of measurement and age. Duration of RA was negatively associated with BMD and Z score at 1/3 distal radius. There was also a significant correlation between BMD and body weight, but no relation between body mass index and BMD. As to bone metabolic markers, the s-BGP level showed a weak linear dependence on age in RA patients, and a significant negative correlation was observed between s-BGP and BMD. Especially, patients with RA who were older than 65 years of age had high s-BGP compared with the other age group.
