Age-related trends in vertebral dimensions.
Several studies have demonstrated age-related changes in vertebral dimensions. Vertebral size has been reported to increase among elderly adults, with periosteal apposition resulting in increased cross-sectional area (CSA) of the vertebral corpus combined with reduction in bone mineral density. These changes in CSA are observed to be sex-specific, as the pronounced increase of vertebral CSA is found only in elderly males. However, the reduction in bone mineral density in old age is apparent within both sexes. It is thus hypothesized that higher fracture risk in elderly women is a result of their incapacity to increase vertebral size and thus adapt to bone mineral reduction. In this study, our aim was to explore whether the onset of these changes could be ascribed to specific age intervals and whether the proposed differences between the sexes are as great as previously suggested. To conduct this study we utilized two large early 20th century skeletal collections known as Terry and Bass (n = 181). We also utilized data from two lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging samples as a modern-day reference (n = 497). Age, sex and ethnicity of all individuals were known. Vertebral CSA was determined by measuring three width and length dimensions from the corpus of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4). Our results indicate only a moderate association between age and vertebral CSA. This association was observed to be relatively similar in both sexes, and we thus conclude that there is no clear sex-specific compensatory mechanism for age-related bone loss in vertebral size.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Department of Archaeology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Juho-Antti
JA
Junno
Centre for Life Course Epidemiology and Systems Medicine, Medical Research Center, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Markus
M
Paananen
Centre for Life Course Epidemiology and Systems Medicine, Medical Research Center, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Work and Health Ability and Disability Prevention Centre, Oulu, Finland.
Jaro
J
Karppinen
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Jaakko
J
Niinimäki
Department of Archaeology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Markku
M
Niskanen
Department of Archaeology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Heli
H
Maijanen
Department of Archaeology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Tiina
T
Väre
Institute of Health Sciences, Public Health and General Practice, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|National Institute of Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland.|Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
Marjo-Riitta
MR
Järvelin
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Miika T
MT
Nieminen
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Juha
J
Tuukkanen
Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Christopher
C
Ruff
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional / Q000379:methods; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*
age-related changes; osteoporosis; vertebral cross-sectional area; vertebral fractures; vertebral size