ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES AND SPINAL BONE-MINERAL DENSITY

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. The relationship of vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) to various anthropometric factors, including body weight and height, vertebral volume, and muscle area was examined. The sex- and menopause-related differences in these relationships also were studied. METHODS. Both cortical and trabecular BMD were measured using quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Integral BMD was measured using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 74 men and in 96 premenopausal and 155 postmenopausal women. The psoas muscle area was measured using CT images. Vertebral volume was determined using CT images and CT topography. RESULTS. Bone mineral density had the strongest relationship with age in postmenopausal women. Trabecular BMD was correlated with muscle area and vertebral volume in premenopausal women, but not in postmenopausal women. The correlation of trabecular BMD with various anthropometric factors in men was stronger than that in women. Dual x-ray absorptiometry-BMD was found to be more affected by bone volume than was QCT-BMD. CONCLUSIONS. The association of anthropometric factors with BMD differs in men and women, as well as in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.