Age-Dependence of Femoral Strength in White Women and Men
Author Information
Author(s): Tony M Keaveny, David L Kopperdahl, L Joseph Melton III, Paul F Hoffmann, Shreyasee Amin, B Lawrence Riggs, Sundeep Khosla
Primary Institution: University of California–Berkeley
Hypothesis
How does femoral strength vary with age in white women and men?
Conclusion
Age-related declines in femoral strength are much greater than previously suggested by declines in femoral neck aBMD.
Supporting Evidence
- Femoral strength declines started in the mid-40s for women and a decade later for men.
- 55% reduction in femoral strength for women and 39% for men over adulthood.
- Prevalence of low femoral strength was much higher than that of osteoporosis.
Takeaway
As people get older, their thigh bone strength decreases a lot more than what doctors usually check with bone density tests.
Methodology
Finite-element analysis of quantitative computed tomographic scans was used to assess femoral strength in an age-stratified cohort.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to oversampling of postmenopausal women receiving estrogen therapy.
Limitations
The study's cohort was relatively small and primarily consisted of white individuals, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 362 women and 317 men, aged 21 to 97 years, predominantly white.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95%
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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