Ultrasonographic, axial, and peripheral measurements in female patients with benign hypermobility syndrome

Abstract

Twenty-five female Caucasians, aged 19-57 years, with the hypermobility syndrome had bone density measurements using established noninvasive techniques such as dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), single photon absorptiometry (SPA), heel ultrasound (US), and peripheral computed tomography (pQCT) acquisitions of the radius. As a group, comparisons of the different bone indices with the corresponding age-matched reference population resulted in normal z-scores for the arial densities, however, values for the volumetric total and cortical bone at the radius measured by pQCT were significantly lower than expected (P < 0.0001). Spinal and femoral bone density results were significant after correction for body mass index (BMI). This cross-sectional study shows that the benign hypermobility syndrome patients have lowered t-scores for data reflecting bone structure and bone strength as measured with US and the tomographic technique.