Objective. The aim of this study was to compare the body fat distribut
ion of patients with osteoporosis (OP) with that of an appropriately m
atched non-PF control group. Design. Case control study. Setting. Depa
rtment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tygerberg Hospital. Participan
ts. A total of 56 patients with histologically proven idiopathic OP, o
f whom 39 were women (mean age 61 +/- 11 years) and 17 men (49 +/- 15
years), were compared with 125 age- and sex-matched non-OP (confirmed
by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) subjects, 98 women (60 +/- 11 yea
rs) and 27 men (51 +/- 16 years). Outcome measures. Anthropometric dat
a, including weight, height, skinfold measurements, mid-upper arm, wai
st and hip circumferences, as well as elbow breadth. Results. The men
and women with OP were significantly shorter (P = 0.04 and P = 0.03 re
spectively) and of lower body mass (P = 0.04 and P = 0.02 respectively
) than the control subjects, although their mean body mass indices wer
e comparable. The OP population had significantly lower skinfold, elbo
w breadth and arm circumference values, although the majority of subje
cts in both groups fell within the 15 - 35th percentiles. Despite thei
r lower body mass, both the OP women (P = 0.009) and men (P = 0.002) h
ad significantly higher waist/hip ratios than corresponding controls.
Conclusion. Whatever the underlying pathogenesis, this new finding sug
gests that, should these results be confirmed by larger studies, OP ca
n be added to the list of diseases associated with a waist fat distrib
ution.