Absorptiometric assessment of muscle-bone relationships in humans: reference, validation, and application studies.
This report summarizes some preliminary absorptiometric (DXA, QCT/pQCT) studies from our laboratory, supporting the following assumptions. 1. In Homo sapiens at all ages, natural proportionality between DXA-assessed bone mineral mass (bone mineral content, BMC) and muscle mass (lean mass, LM) of the whole body or limbs is specific for ethnicity, gender, and reproductive status, but not for body weight, height, or body mass index. 2. This proportionality is sensitive to many kinds of endocrine-metabolic perturbations. 3. Percentilized or Z-scored charts of the BMC/LM correlations as determined in large samples of healthy individuals can provide a diagnostic reference for evaluating proportionality in different conditions. 4. Employing exclusively DXA, this methodology can be applied to discriminate between "disuse-related" and "metabolic" osteopenias based on the finding of normal or low BMC/LM percentiles or Z-scores respectively, with important therapeutic and monitoring implications.
Center for P-Ca Metabolism Studies (CEMFoC), National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.
Gustavo R
GR
Cointry
Ricardo F
RF
Capozza
Sebastián E
SE
Ferretti
Margarita D
MD
Meta
Sara
S
Feldman
Ricardo
R
Capiglioni
Paola
P
Reina
Néstor M
NM
Fracalossi
María R
MR
Ulla
Carlos
C
Cure-Cure
José L
JL
Ferretti
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology