BONE DENSITOMETRY OF PROXIMAL FEMUR IN CHINESE SUBJECTS - GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BONE MASS AND BONE AREAS

Bone mineral content (BMC), bone areas (BA), and bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femur were measured in 202 healthy Chinese men a nd 507 healthy Chinese women, aged 21-70 years, to investigate gender differences in densitometry of the femur, Densitometric values measure d at the femoral neck, trochanter, and Ward's triangle were generally greater in men than women of the same age, except at Ward's triangle, While BMD decreased with aging with similar slopes of -0.2 similar to -1% per year, the actual readings mere 10% - 15% lower than those of C aucasian subjects of the same age and gender for Chinese men and women , Furthermore, with increasing age, trochanteric BA increased in women but not in men, and femoral neck BA increased in men but not in women , These different trends of change in bone dimensions were independent of weight or height, They may reflect a structural difference at the proximal femur and imply differences in mechanical strength, and thus may have played some roles in the different incidence of hip fractures between the elderly men and women. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.