Correlates of bone mineral density in elderly women living in nursing homes for the disabled in Japan.

Background And Aims: Characteristics of bone aging in the institutionalized elderly are not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the factors correlated with the forearm bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly women with disability.

Methods: Of 175 female residents living in nursing homes for the disabled in Niigata, Japan, 119 agreed to participate and underwent medical examinations in 1999; 107 (age range, 66-100) met our inclusion criteria. We measured forearm BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and the serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, intact parathyroid hormone, albumin, total protein, and creatinine. Body weight, score of activities of daily living, and history of femoral neck fractures were also recorded.

Results: Forearm BMD decreased with age, and the regression equation was BMD=0.9035exp (-0.0179Age) (R2=0.170, p<0.0001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that only age (R2=0.178, p<0.0001), and serum creatinine (R2=0.153, p<0.0001) and albumin (R2=0.051, p=0.005) concentrations were independently associated with log-BMD. Twenty-five of the 107 subjects had a history of femoral neck fracture, and only serum albumin concentration (p=0.031) was shown to be associated with fracture history.

Conclusions: Forearm BMD was associated with age, serum creatinine and albumin, which may be useful parameters for assessing the bone health of elderly women with disability.