Age-dependent cortical bone loss in women from 18th and early 19th centuryLondon

Age-dependent cortical bone loss was investigated in an earlier British pop ulation. The study sample comprised female skeletons from the 18th/19th cen tury crypt at Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. Bone loss was monitored using metacarpal radiogrammetry. Age at death was known exactly from coffin plates. Results indicated that peak cortical thickness was less than in mo dern subjects. Continuing periosteal apposition was evident throughout adul thood, and the rate of increase in metacarpal diameter resembled that in mo dern subjects. Bone loss from the endosteal surface was evident from the fi fth decade onwards, and this outstripped the rate of subperiosteal gain so that there was a net loss of cortical bone with age. Cortical bone loss occ urred at a similar rate to that in modern subjects. In contrast to modern p opulations, there was no evidence that loss of cortical bone was associated with increased propensity to fracture. The present results, together with those previously published for a British medieval skeletal assemblage, sugg est that patterns of cortical bone loss in women have remained unchanged ov er at least the last millennium in Britain. Given the great changes in life style which have occurred during this period, this suggests that lifestyle factors may be rather less important than is sometimes asserted in influenc ing the severity of osteoporosis, at least as far as loss of cortical bone is concerned. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.