Bone Mass Measurement in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The bone mineral loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which occurs not in the juxta-articular region but generalized, is well recognized. However the pathogenesis of generalized bone loss in RA is not clear. In this study, we investigated factors which may influence it, so we measured bone mineral density at the lumbar spine more than 2 times over 12 months with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Measurements were performed for 29 females and 36 age-matched female controls. There was a difference in Z-score with controls. In longitudinal study, bone loss was significantly greater in early disease.