[Proximal femoral fractures: risk factors, bone mineral density, body composition and biochemical changes in and age-matched patients and controls]. / Fracturas del fémur proximal: factores de riesgo, densidad mineral osea, composición corporal y alteraciones bioquímicas en pacientes y controles de similar edad.

During one year (6/93-5/94) we performed a prospective study in patients with hip fracture, treated at the Hospital de Clínicas. A total of 102 women 52 to 94 years of age (Mean +/- 1SD: 79.5 +/- 9.1 years) and 17 men 61 to 98 years of age (79.7 +/- 9.9 years) who had sustained a hip fracture due to mild or moderate trauma were included. The ratio women: men was 6:1. We also studied 55 age-matched control women without diseases that could affect the skeleton or previous hip fracture (77.1 +/- 5.8 years of age). We did not study a control group in men. Women with hip fractures had lower weight (p < 0.01), lower age of onset of the menopause (p < 0.01) and a tendency to have with a greater frequency a mother with hip fracture (p < 0.08) compared with age-matched controls. When vertebral fractures were excluded, 44% of the hip fracture women had sustained previous skeletal fractures, while only 16% of the age-matched controls had suffered previous skeletal fractures (p < 0.001) (Table 2). The most frequent previous skeletal fractures were wrist and humerus. Forty eight percent of hip fracture women had had at least one vertebral fracture. About 17% of the hip fractured men had sustained previous skeletal fractures, while 5/12 men had suffered at least one vertebral fracture. Hip fractured women and men sustained greater history of diseases which provoke postural instability (Table 3). Biochemical determinations showed significantly diminished levels of serum albumin (p < 0.001) and calcium (p < 0.01), and increased serum PTH (p < 0.05) compared to age-matched controls (Table 4). Bone mineral density (determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) was significantly diminished over proximal femur, total skeleton, legs and pelvis (p < 0.001), head and spine (p < 0.05) (Table 5). Body composition measurements showed that hip fracture women had a significantly lower lean mass compared with controls (p < 0.05). Fat mass also was lower in fracture patients compared with controls, but the difference was not statistically significant (Table 5). We conclude that hip fracture in our population is related to several previous factors: earlier onset of menopause, lower nutrition and body weight, previous diseases that increase the likelihood of falling, increased levels of PTH and reduced bone mass. Prevention of hip fractures should take into account all these factors, specially those that could be modified.

Radioactive-induced tumors by phosphorus-32 as colloidal compound.

Chromic colloidal phosphate labeled with 32P, which has been proposed for the treatment of several articular diseases, was injected intra-articularly in the knee joint of adult Wistar rats. After a 270 days minimum latent period, tumors began to appear in the injected zone, to a 70% frequency. Ten lung metastases were detected. In five cases, squamous cell carcinomas were induced in the injected area. The relevance of a sound evaluation of the risk involved in treatments with radioactive isotopes, is discussed.

Radiation effects produced by the intra-articular injection of 32P.

Colloidal forms of radioactive isotopes are being used for the treatment of some articular diseases. The radiation effects of intra-articular injection of 0.25 mCi of 32P in the form of colloidal chromic phosphate were investigated in one of the knee joints of adult Wistar rats. The contralateral knee was used as a control. The animals were sacrificed one, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days later. Destructive changes were found after 56 days. The articular cartilage was atrophied and covered by a fibrous pannus. The growth cartilage was severely disorganized and there were deleterious effects on both cells and matrix.