Low bone mineral content is common but osteoporotic fractures are rare in elderly rural Gambian women.

Journal article

Osteoporosis is reported to be rare in Black Africa. The low fracture incidence among North American black women is explained by a high peak bone mass and preservation of bone mineral into old age. To assess whether this is the case among Black African women, we measured bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), using single- and dual-photon absorptiometry, in 195 rural Gambian women aged over 44 years and 391 white women of comparable age from three centers in the U.K. Measu...

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Authors: Aspray, T; Prentice, A; Cole, T; Sawo, Y; Reeve, J

• Journal: Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 1019-1025
• Publication date: 1996-07-01
• DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.5650110720
• EISSN: 1523-4681
• ISSN: 0884-0431
• Language: English
• Keywords: Female; Humans; European Continental Ancestry Group; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal; Bone Density; Anthropometry; Fractures, Bone; Rural Health; African Continental Ancestry Group; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Femur Neck; Lumbar Vertebrae; Aged; Radius; Incidence; Great Britain; Gambia; Adult