Abstract
The purpose of our study is to establish the standard normal value of bone density in the average Ghanian. The measurement has followed the method described by Doyle. The subjects examined were 180 healthy Ghanian aged between 10 and 39 years and were divided into 6 groups. The subjects were selected with the cooperation of the staff of the Mamprobi Poly Clinic in Accra where the X-ray machine provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were installed. All were interviewed and completed the questionaires. The forearm was immersed into the water in a plastic bath, and two pictures, an antero-posterior view and a lateral view, of the left ulna were taken in every case. Then they were examined with a micro-densitometer and their mineral concentration of the bone was analyzed. The values were obtained on the basis of theory that the X-ray density of 1 mm Al is equivalent to that of 130 mg/cm2 of bone mineral. The data were statistically analyzed, and various factors, such as sex, age, height, weight, occupation, side of dexterity and physical activity were studied. The values obtained through our research can be regarded as normal ranges of bone density of Ghanian in 1977. They will serve as a standard value for the estimation of bone density of the morbid. And the evaluation of bone density would be a useful aid for the diagnosis and estimation of severity in some diseases, such as nutritional, hormonal and hematological disorders.
