Background: Proximal humeral fractures commonly occur in elderly women with osteoporosis. However, little is known about whether the BMD of the proximal humerus reflects the BMD of other sites of the body.
Methods: Twenty-seven women with mean age 67.9 years old and a diagnosis of established or possible osteoporosis were studied with. We measured the BMD of the proximal humerus, distal radius, lumbar spine, and proximal femur with DXA scan.
Results: The mean BMD was 0.41g/cm 2 in the humeral head, 0.33g/cm 2 in the surgical neck, 0.34g/cm 2 in the distal radius, 0.80g/cm 2 in the lumbar spine, and 0.69g/cm 2 in the proximal femur. The BMD of the proximal humerus was correlated more closely with that of the distal radius than with that of the lumbar spine or proximal femur.
Conclusion: Based on the current study, we conclude that the BMD of the distal radius can be an indicator of the BMD of the proximal humerus.
