Investigation of bone mineral distribution in Japanese using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Abstract

To investigate bone mineral distribution in humans, the authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of, and performed bone-density measurements on, 1,310 healthy Japanese ranging in age 5 to 85 years. Eight hundred fifty-eight of the subjects were female, and 452 were male. Arm, leg, and spine bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and the subjects were divided into 5-year age groups. BMD showed increases with skeletal growth until reaching a peak at 15 to 19 years in females, and 25 to 29 for males. For both sexes the fastest growth to maturity in terms of bone mass values was in the late 20s. Females, though, had higher arm, leg, and spine remodeling rates than males. In premenopausal women no changes in arm, leg or spine BMC and BMD were observed. Postmenopausal women showed an overall reduction in bone mass, most noticeably in the spine. After menopause, women had about 10 years of accelerated loss (1.46%/year). Vertebral BMD values were similar for men and women (1.10 +/- 0.20g/cm2 for males vs. 1.09 +/- 0.14g/cm2 for females, p > 0.05). BMC values were significantly higher in males, and males at all times had a higher arm and leg BMD. There were no significant value differences in either sex for left and right leg BMC and BMD; however, from the age of 15, right arm values were significantly higher likely due to right handedness. For both sexes the order of BMC and BMD was leg, spine, and arm.