Association between Radiographic Severity of Osteoarthritis of Finger Joints and Bone Mineral Density

Objective: To determine whether or not there is a correlation between the severity of hand osteoarthritis (OA) and low bone mineral density (BMD). Materials: In 30 patients with hand OA who attended our department with chief complaint of arthralgia in the fingers, data on BMD and the radiographic severity of hand OA were statistically analyzed. Of the 30 subjects studied, 24 were females and 6 males. All subjects aged between 49 and 85 years (mean: 70.0 years). They consisted of 18 subjects with Heberdenʼs nodes, 8 with Bouchardʼs nodes, and 9 with rhizarthrosis. Methods: Radiographic severity of hand OA was scored with the Kellgren/Lawrence scale (grade 0-4). BMD of vertebral bodies was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between the radiographic severity of Heberdenʼs nodes and low BMD, whereas neither rhizarthrosis nor Bouchardʼs nodes showed any correlation between radiographic severity and BMD. Conclusions: A statistically significant correlation between the radiographic severity of hand OA and BMD was established solely for Heberdenʼs nodes. Although low BMD may influence the progression of hand OA, there may also be other influencing factors.