Open AccessGeneralized bone loss as a predictor of three‐year radiographic damage in African American patients with recent‐onset rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
Zhang Jie,
Redden David T.,
McGwin Gerald,
Callahan Leigh F.,
Smith Edwin A.,
Alarcón Graciela S.,
Moreland Larry W.,
van der Heijde Désirée M.,
Brown Elizabeth E.,
Arnett Donna K.,
Mikuls Ted R.,
Bridges S. Louis
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
arthritis & rheumatism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1529-0131
pISSN - 0004-3591
DOI - 10.1002/art.27510
Subject(s) - medicine , osteopenia , osteoporosis , femoral neck , rheumatoid arthritis , bone density , bone mineral , radiography , cohort , surgery
Objective To examine the association between baseline bone mineral density (BMD) and radiographic damage at 3 years of disease duration in a longitudinal cohort of African Americans with recent‐onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods African American RA patients with a disease duration of <2 years (n = 141) were included in the study. All patients underwent baseline BMD measurements (femoral neck and/or lumbar spine) using dual x‐ray absorptiometry. T scores were calculated using normative data from the general population of African Americans. Patients were categorized as having osteopenia/osteoporosis (T score less than or equal to −1) or as being healthy. Hand and wrist radiographs, obtained at baseline and at 3 years of disease duration, were scored using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde method. The association between baseline BMD and total radiographic score at 3 years of disease was examined using multivariable negative binomial regression. Results At baseline, the mean age and the mean disease duration were 52.4 years and 14.8 months, respectively; 85.1% of the patients were women. The average total radiographic scores at baseline and at 3 years of disease were 2.4 and 5.7, respectively. In the final reduced multivariable model, adjusting for age, sex, anti–cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positivity, and the presence of radiographic damage at baseline, the total radiographic score at 3 years disease in patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis of the femoral neck was twice that in patients with normal bone density, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.0084). No association between lumbar spine osteopenia/osteoporosis and radiographic score was found. Conclusion Our findings suggest that reduced generalized BMD may be a predictor of future radiographic damage and support the hypothesis that radiographic damage and reduced generalized BMD in RA patients may share a common pathogenic mechanism.