Abstract
We studied the bone density and bone mineral content of 14 men and 10 women over the age of 60 years who had sustained a femoral neck fracture as a result of minor trauma. They were matched for age and gender with controls from a peri-urban black population.
Among the men, the femoral T and Z scores were significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. There were no significant differences among the female patient and control groups. In the controls, the mean bone densities were lower than in hologic white controls. The differences were not age-related. The black female controls also had lower bone densities than hologic white controls. These densities fell rapidly after the age of 50 years and this was age-related. As measured by their T scores, most of the patients were at risk for fractures.
The abstracts were prepared by Professor M. B. E. Sweet. Correspondence should be addressed to him at The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical School, University of Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193 South Africa
