PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Haugeberg, G
AU  - Lodder, M C
AU  - Lems, W F
AU  - Uhlig, T
AU  - Ørstavik, R E
AU  - Dijkmans, B A C
AU  - Kvien, T K
AU  - Woolf, A D
TI  - Hand cortical bone mass and its associations with radiographic joint damage and fractures in 50–70 year old female patients with rheumatoid arthritis: cross sectional Oslo-Truro-Amsterdam (OSTRA) collaborative study
AID  - 10.1136/ard.2003.015065
DP  - 2004 Oct 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 1331--1334
VI  - 63
IP  - 10
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/63/10/1331.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/63/10/1331.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis2004 Oct 01; 63
AB  - Objective: To investigate the relationship between hand bone mineral density (BMD) and radiographic joint damage, and between hand BMD and fractures in 50–70 year old women with longstanding RA.Methods: Demographic, clinical data, and imaging data on hand radiographs and Genants vertebral deformity score on spine radiographs were collected from 135 women with RA of ⩾5 years, recruited from three European rheumatology clinics. Metacarpal hand BMD was measured by digital hand x ray radiogrammetry (DXR), and hip and lumbar spine BMD by dual x ray absorptiometry (DXA). Multiple regression analyses were used to examine associations between hand BMD and radiographic joint damage, and hand BMD and fractures.Results: Hand BMD was strongly and independently associated with radiographic hand joint damage in a linear regression model adjusted for age, centre, BMI, disease duration, RF, 18 deformed joint count, ESR, and femoral neck BMD. In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for relevant variables, hand BMD and femoral neck BMD, but not spine BMD, were independently associated with vertebral deformities and with non-vertebral fractures.Conclusion: BMD measured by DXR on conventional hand radiographs in patients with RA may potentially be used as an indicator of joint damage and of vertebral and non-vertebral fracture risk.