Degenerative inter-vertebral disc disease osteochondrosis intervertebralis in Europe: prevalence, geographic variation and radiological correlates in men and women aged 50 and over.

Objectives: To assess the prevalences across Europe of radiological indices of degenerative inter-vertebral disc disease (DDD); and to quantify their associations with, age, sex, physical anthropometry, areal BMD (aBMD) and change in aBMD with time.

Methods: In the population-based European Prospective Osteoporosis Study, 27 age-stratified samples of men and women from across the continent aged 50+ years had standardized lateral radiographs of the lumbar and thoracic spine to evaluate the severity of DDD, using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scale. Measurements of anterior, mid-body and posterior vertebral heights on all assessed vertebrae from T4 to L4 were used to generate indices of end-plate curvature.

Vertebral Scheuermann's disease in Europe: prevalence, geographic variation and radiological correlates in men and women aged 50 and over.

Unlabelled: In 27 centres across Europe, the prevalence of deforming spinal Scheuermann's disease in age-stratified population-based samples of over 10,000 men and women aged 50+ averaged 8% in each sex, but was highly variable between centres. Low DXA BMD was un-associated with Scheuermann's, helping the differential diagnosis from osteoporosis.

Introduction: This study aims to assess the prevalence of Scheuermann's disease of the spine across Europe in men and women over 50 years of age, to quantitate its association with bone mineral density (BMD) and to assess its role as a confounder for the radiographic diagnosis of osteoporotic fracture.

Are there still east-to-west differences in the incidence of hip fractures in Germany?

Unlabelled: There are large regional differences in the incidence of hip fracture in Germany. These differences were unexpected and do not follow a north-to-south or an east-to-west gradient. But they are of high socioeconomic importance and cannot be explained by geographic location, the age structure of the population, and only to a small extent by the regulation of specific medication.

[Indications and prerequisites for bone biopsy].

The iliac crest biopsy provides additional information for the therapeutic approach in selected questions if the indication is correct. Indications include osteoporosis with an atypical course with respect to age, fracture frequency or success of therapy. The aim of the iliac crest biopsy is to harvest an undestroyed and intact piece of bone, containing all compartments, including cancellous bone, cortical bone and bone marrow.