Differential Changes in Regional Bone Mineral Density in Healthy Chinese: Age-Related and Sex-Dependent

Abstract

To investigate the pattern of age-related and sex-dependent bone mineral density (BMD) changes in the six skeletal regions in healthy Chinese, total-body and regional BMD were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 310 women and 387 men aged 20-80 years. In women, a five-phase change was discernible in the axial bones: (1) gradual bone increase from 20-29 years old to maximal BMD at 35-39 years old; (2) maintenance of this level from 35-39 to 40-44; (3) a mild bone decrease from 40-44 to 45-49; (4) a rapid bone decrease from 45-49 to 55-59; and (5) a decelerated bone decrease after 55-59 years old. After validation of menopause status, the decrease of BMD in the late 40s became insignificant in premenopausal women. In appendicular bones, no obvious peak was observed, and significant bone decrease started at 50-54 years old. The overall bone decrease from 35-39 to 70-80 years old was 19.3% for the total body, 16.4% for the head, 29% for the spine, 23% for the pelvis, 18.2% for the ribs, 23.9% for the arms, and 20.4% for the legs. In men, the maximal bone mass was attained at 30-34 and 35-39 years old for axial and appendicular bones, respectively. The age-related bone decrease in the skeletal regions was small, except from 60-64 to 65-69 years old. The overall bone decrease in each region from maximal bone mass to 70-80 years old was 6.7% for the total body, 1.7% for the head, 7.6% for the spine, 11.3% for the pelvis, 9.5% for the ribs, 7.8% for the arms, and 10.4% for the legs. The overall magnitude of reduction in total-body BMD in women was about three times greater than that in men. The pattern of BMD changes differs in each region and is age-related as well as sex-dependent. There appeared to be no significant premenopausal bone decrease.

Two Clinical Problems in Elderly Men: Osteoporosis and Erectile Dysfunction

“…Consistent with previous reports, our results concerning hormonal changes showed that TT, FT and DHEAS levels were negatively, and LH and FSH levels were positively correlated with age. Age-related decrease in BMD of different body regions have been shown in several studies [2,7,14,29,30]. In our study, BMD measurement results were consistent with the previous reports.…”

“…In our study, BMD measurement results were consistent with the previous reports. Femoral neck BMD showed a slight decrease with age, whereas L 2 -L 4 vertebrae appeared to increase; this result is most likely a consequence of anteroposterior projection of DXA, in which degenerative changes in the posterior spinous elements may be misleading [7,14,29,30].…”

Estrogen Receptor α Gene Polymorphisms and Peak Bone Density in Chinese Nuclear Families

“…The basic characteristics of the children are summarized in Table 1. All children were female and 31.4 ± 5.8 years of age, that is, the time when PBD is achieved or maintained in Chinese women (57) . All the subjects were genotyped at the Pvu II and Xba I polymorphic sites.…”

The effect of vocal and demographic traits on speech intelligibility over bone conduction

“…For example, a person's facial shape, bone thickness, and bone density are related to their sex (Ferrario et al, 1993;Yao et al, 2001) and age (Enlow, 1966;Bartlett et al, 1992;Burt and Perrett, 1995;Mendelson and Wong, 2012), and the speed of sound through some facial bones is known to vary by age (Rose et al, 2001). Demographic characteristics also affect the vocal apparatus and phonation.…”