Association between African American race/ethnicity and low bone mineral density in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To determine the association between race/ethnicity and bone mineral density (BMD) in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Women with SLE (n = 298), including 77 African Americans and 221 whites, completed this cross-sectional study conducted from 1996 to 2002. Hip and lumbar spine BMD were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.