Bone mineral density in patients with scleroderma systematica

Abstract

Aim. To study the frequency and magnitude of a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) and its association with clinical parameters in patients with scleroderma systematica (SDS). Subjects and methods. Fifty-six postmenopausal women aged 45-71 years (58.1±7.1 years) with a valid diagnosis of SDS and 44 age-matched healthy women were examined. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 4500, Waltham, MA) was performed in all the included patients to measure BMD in the lumbar spine (LI—LIV), femoral neck, and proximal femur. Results. The patients with SDS and the healthy women showed no differences in body mass index (BMI) (24.7±4.6 and 25.7±3.5 kg/m2, respectively) and postmenopause duration (9.6±6.4 and 9.5±7.0 years, respectively); menopause occurred earlier in the patients with SDS than in the healthy women (46.9±3.6 and 49.7±3.0 years, respectively (p

Keywords

• bone mineral density
• scleroderma systematica
• women