Appendicular bone mass and knee and hand osteoarthritis in Japanese women: a cross-sectional study.

Background: It has been reported that there is an inverse association between osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis. However, the relationship of bone mass to OA in a Japanese population whose rates of OA are different from Caucasians remains uncertain.

Methods: We studied the association of appendicular bone mineral density (second metacarpal; mBMD) and quantitative bone ultrasound (calcaneus; stiffness index) with knee and hand OA among 567 Japanese community-dwelling women.

Metacarpal bone mineral density, body mass index and lifestyle among postmenopausal Japanese women: relationship of body mass index, physical activity, calcium intake, alcohol and smoking to bone mineral density: the Hizen-Oshima study.

The present study was designed to investigate the influence of modifiable risk factors (body weight and lifestyle) for bone loss on bone mineral density (BMD). We examined age-specific changes in metacarpal BMD, and its associations with body mass index and lifestyle among 532 community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women. Measurements of the second metacarpal BMD were obtained from the hand radiographs using computer-assisted radiographic absorptiometry.