DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - COMPARISONBETWEEN AXIAL AND APPENDICULAR SKELETON FINDINGS

Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine, both hips and distal radius in 10 postmenop ausal patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DXA values at the lumba r spine and distal radius were compatible with osteoporosis in all but 1 patient. Only 4 patients had osteoporosis of the hip, and 3 of thes e were over 65. Preliminary results over this small population suggest that in RA a correlation may be expected between DXA values in lumbar spine and distal radius, but not between either of these and the hip.