Utilidad del Trabecular Bone Score combinado con la densitometría ósea en la valoración de una serie 194 pacientes / Usefulness of Trabecular Bone Score in combination with bone densitometry to assess a series of 194 patients / Utilidade do Trabecular Bone Score combinado com densitometria óssea na avaliação de uma série de 194 pacientes

Resumen: Introducción: la mayoría de las fracturas por fragilidad ocurren en rango densitométrico de osteopenia, la escala ósea trabecular (TBS) permite valorar aspectos de la microarquitectura que influyen en la resistencia ósea. Objetivo: describir las características clínicas y los hallazgos de la microarquitectura ósea aplicando TBS combinado con densitometría ósea (DXA) en un grupo de pacientes. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo, de recolección retrospectiva. Se incluyen los pacientes a los que se les realizó DXA con TBS en el INRU en julio y agosto de 2020. Resultados: se analizaron 194 pacientes, 173 (89%) de sexo femenino y 21 (11%) de sexo masculino. El 36,1% (70 pacientes) en rango de osteopenia, 36,1 (70 pacientes) en rango de osteoporosis. El 32,9% (23 pacientes) con osteopenia y el 47,1% (33 pacientes) con osteoporosis tenían microarquitectura degradada. 76,9% de los pacientes con artritis reumatoidea y 45,8% de los que tenían espondiloartritis presentaban microarquitectura alterada. Conclusiones: el TBS permitió reestratificar el riesgo de fractura en un número importante de pacientes, mostrándose como una herramienta muy útil en la valoración complementaria de la salud ósea.

Summary: Introduction: most fractures that result from bone fragility occur in the osteopenia range The trabecular bone score (TBS) enables the assessment of microarchitecture aspects that impact bone resistance. Objective: to describe the clinical characteristics and findings of bone microarchitecture, by applying TBS and bone densitometry in a group of patients. Method: descriptive study of retrospective collection. Patients who were included in the study underwent a Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) with TBS at the National Rheumatology Service between July and August, 2020. Results: 94 patients were analysed, 173 (89%) were female and 21 (11%) were male. 36.1% (70 patients) lay in the osteopenia range, 36.1 (70 patients) in the osteoporotic range. 32.9% (23 patients) with osteopenia and 47.1% (33 patients) with osteoporosis evidenced a degraded bone microarchitecture. 76.9 % of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 45.8 % of patients with spondyloarthritis respectively evidenced altered bone microarchitecture. Conclusions: TBS allowed stratification of fracture risk in a significant number of patients, which may suggest it is a useful tool for complementary assessment of bone health.

Resumo: Introdução: a maioria das fraturas por fragilidade ocorre na faixa densitométrica da osteopenia; o escore de osso trabecular (TBS) permite avaliar aspectos da microarquitetura que influenciam a resistência óssea. Objetivo: descrever as características clínicas e os achados da microarquitetura óssea aplicando TBS combinado com densitometria óssea (DMO) em um grupo de pacientes. Material e métodos: estudo descritivo, retrospectivo, incluindo pacientes que realizaram DXA (absorciometria de raios-X de dupla energia) com TBS no INRU em julho e agosto de 2020. Resultados: foram analisados 194 pacientes, 173 (89%) mulheres e 21 (11%) homens. 36,1% (70 pacientes) na faixa de osteopenia, 36,1 (70 pacientes) na faixa de osteoporose. 32,9% (23 pacientes) com osteopenia e 47,1% (33 pacientes) com osteoporose tinham microarquitetura degradada. Nos pacientes com artrite reumatoide 76,9% e nas espondiloartrite 45,8% apresentaram microarquitetura alterada, respectivamente. Conclusões: a TBS permitiu fazer uma nova estratificação do risco de fratura em um número significativo de pacientes, mostrando-se uma ferramenta muito útil na avaliação complementar da saúde óssea.

Uso de bifosfonatos en pacientes con osteopenia / Biphosphonates in patients with osteopenia

La osteopenia, una disminución de la densidad mineral ósea de menor severidad que la osteoporosis, definida por valores de T-score entre -1,0 y -2,5 en la densitometría ósea , podría asociarse con un mayor riesgo de fracturas. Motivado por el pedido de una paciente con osteopenia que solicita a su médico algún medicamento que le ayude a disminuir su riesgo de fracturas, el autor se pregunta si los bifosfonatos podrían ser beneficiosos para las pacientes con este factor de riesgo. Luego de realizar una búsqueda bibliográfica y seleccionar la evidencia más reciente y de mejor calidad, se concluye que estos fármacos podrían ser útiles para prevenir fracturas en mujeres mayores de 65 años con elevado riesgo de fractura,independientemente del resultado de la densitometría. (AU)

Osteopenia, a minor decrease in bone mineral density, defined by T-score values between -1.0 and -2.5 in a bone densitometry, is associated with an increased risk of fractures. Moved by the request of a patient with osteopenia who asks her doctor for any medication that may help her reduce his risk of fractures, the author wonders if bisphosphonates could be beneficial for patients with this condition. After conducting a bibliographic search and selecting the most recent and best quality evidence, he concluded that these drugs could be useful to prevent fractures in women older than 65 years with ahigh risk of fracture, regardless of densitometry results. (AU)

De la osteología a la osteomiología: tres décadas de aportes originales continuos al análisis biomecánico osteomuscular / From osteology to osteo-myology: three decades of continuous, original contributions to musculoskeletal biomechanical analysis

En consonancia con la orientación tradicional de nuestras investigaciones, la Osteología está incorporando progresivamente el análisis estructural-biomecánico óseo y las interacciones músculo-esqueléticas. En este artículo se sintetizan los aportes originales del CEMFoC a la Osteología moderna en el terreno biomecánico en forma didáctica, para que el lector aprecie sus posibles aplicaciones clínicas. Los hallazgos aportaron evidencias sucesivas en apoyo de dos proposiciones fundamentales: a) los huesos deben interpretarse como estructuras resistivas, biológicamente servocontroladas ("Los huesos tienden siempre a mantener un factor de seguridad que permite al cuerpo trabajar normalmente sin fracturarse" ­ Paradigma de Utah) y b) los huesos interactúan con su entorno mecánico, determinado principalmente por las contracciones musculares, en forma subordinada al entorno metabólico ("Los huesos son lo que los músculos quieren que sean, siempre que las hormonas lo permitan"). Los avances producidos se refieren, tanto cronológica como didácticamente, al conocimiento osteológico en general y al desarrollo de recursos novedosos para el diagnóstico no invasivo de fragilidad ósea, para distinguir entre osteopenias y osteoporosis, y para discriminar entre sus etiologías 'mecánica' y 'sistémica'. Finalmente, el nuevo conocimiento se integra en la proposición de un algoritmo diagnóstico para osteopenias y osteoporosis. El espíritu general de la presentación destaca que la evaluación osteomuscular dinámicamente integrada genera un nuevo espacio de análisis personalizado de los pacientes para la atención de cualquier osteopatía fragilizante con criterio biomecánico. (AU)

In consonance with the traditional spirit of our studies, skeletal research is being progressively focused on the structural-biomechanical analysis of bone and the muscle-bone interactions. In this article, the CEMFoC's members summarize their original findings in bone biomechanics and their potential clinical applications. These findings provided evidence supporting two fundamental hypotheses, namely, A. bones constitute resistive structures, which are biologically servo-controlled ('Bones tend to maintain a safety factor which allows the body to function normally avoiding fractures' ­ the 'Utah paradigm'), and B. the interactions of bones with their mechanical environment mainly are determined by the contraction of local muscles - 'bone-muscle units'), and are subordinated to the control of the metabolic environment ('Bones are what muscles wish them to be, provided that hormones allow for it'). The achievements in the field are presented in a chronological and didactical sequence concerning the general knowledge in Osteology and the development of novel resources for non-invasive diagnosis of bone fragility, aiming to distinguish between osteopenias and osteoporosis and the 'mechanical' and 'metabolic' etiology of these conditions. Finally, the integrated new knowledge is presented as supporting for a proposed diagnostic algorithm for osteopenias and osteoporosis. In general terms, the article highlights the dynamic evaluation of the musculoskeletal system as a whole, opening a new diagnostic field for a personalized evaluation of the patients affected by a boneweakening disease, based on functional and biomechanical criteria. (AU)

Advances in management of thalassemia.

Thalassemias represent the most common single-gene disorder causing a major public health problem in India. Thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies probably developed over 7000 years ago as a defense against malaria. In simple terms, thalassemia is caused by a mutation in either the â-globin chain or the á-globin chain which combine equally in red cells to form hemoglobin. These mutations lead to varying degree of anemia resulting into thalassemia minor, intermedia or major. Present write up relates to advances in the management of â-thalassemia major.

Bone mass measurement using quantitative ultrasound in healthy Saudi women. A cross-sectional screening

To study the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in healthy Saudi women, a community-based screening was carried out. Three thousand and two hundred sixty-nine women in the young women in peak bone mass [PBM] age group and 3131 in the postmenopausal age [PMA] group were screened using Achilles Insight [GE, USA]. Subjects included in the study were healthy and residents of eastern province. The screening was conducted between January 2006 and December 2007. The study took place in King Fahd University Hospital, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the PBM age group, 2090 [63.9%] were normal, 791 [24.2%] were osteopenic and 388 [11.9%] were osteoporotic. Osteopenia was more common in single urban women compared to those who were married and living in rural areas [p<0.01 and p<0.001]. Women with college education had significantly normal bone mass than women with less than high school education [p<0.01]. In the PMA, 948 [30.3%] were osteopenic and 720 [23%] were osteoporotic. Osteopenic was more common in women in urban areas as compared to industrial and the rural areas [p<0.01]. Those women whose education was less than primary had significantly more osteoporosis when compared to women with college education [p<0.001]. In the PBM, 11.9% were osteoporotic and in PMA group 23% were osteoporotic. Factors that influenced the risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis included level of education, number of children, and place of living

The predictive value of skin thickness in the diagnosis of osteopenia.

Skin and bone share a similar organic constituent (type I collagen) which decreases with time after menopause due to hypoestrogenism. The interdependence of skin and bone atrophy has been reported. This study was conducted to assess the predictive value of an ultrasonographic measurement of skin thickness in the diagnosis of osteopenia (BMD below -1.5 SD.) in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. All patients had skin thickness measured by the same radiologist and had a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan of the lumbar spine and the femoral neck. Of the 77 women studied, the mean age was 50.9 +/- 3.0 years. Thirty patients were in perimenopause and 47 in early postmenopause. Mean skin thickness was 2.1 +/- 0.4 mm. Women with a skin thickness of < or = 1.7 mm carried a higher risk for developing osteopenia at the lumbar spine (odds ratio 8.41, 95% confidence interval 2.19-32.35) and the femoral neck (odds ratio 3.88, 95% CI 1.14-13.17). Patients with a skin thickness of > or = 2.4 mm had a lower probability of osteopenia at the lumbar spines (odds ratio 0.17, 95% CI 0.035-0.845) and the femoral neck (odds ratio 0.22, 95% CI 0.055-0.899). In conclusion, a low skin thickness measurement by ultrasonography may be used as an indicator for osteopenia in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.