[SF-36 and EQ-5D in the evaluation of QOL in the osteoporotic patients as the generic questionnaires].

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) , abbreviated as QOL, can be evaluated by various questionnaires, which are classified as generic and disease-targeted ones. Generic questionnaires are further subdivided into profile-type and preference-based ones. SF-36 and EQ-5D are the best known examples for the former and the latter, respectively. In SF-36 and its shortened one SF-8, the subjects' QOL is expressed by several profiles or subscales. Their advantages include well-conducted validation and availability of national norms. In EQ-5D, a single value representing the subjects' QOL status (utility) is obtained through 5 questions. These generic questionnaires are applicable to patients with various diseases or even to healthy citizens. In contrast, disease-targeted questionnaires lack such features, but can include items that are specifically related to the disease but devoid of general applicability. Thus, generic and disease-targeted questionnaires have their own pros and cons. Selection of the questionnaires depends on the object of the study.

Bone density, geometry, and fracture in elderly men.

Bone geometry is a major determinant of the mechanical resistance of bone. Mechanical strength of the vertebrae depends on the cross-sectional area of the vertebral body and on the size of the posterior arch. Smaller bone width is associated with higher risk of stress fracture. A longer femoral neck axis and a more open neck-shaft angle are associated with higher risk of cervical hip fracture. No consistent association between the femoral neck width and the cervical fracture risk was found. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) is not a good tool for the identification of elderly men with high fracture risk. Fracture risk increases with decreasing aBMD, but only a minority of men who will sustain an osteoporotic fracture are identified by a given threshold of baseline aBMD. Bone width seems to be an independent predictor of the fracture risk in elderly men, and its assessment can improve the prediction of fractures in this population.