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S R Cummings

Publications and source records attributed to S R Cummings.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Risk factors for hip fracture in white women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

BACKGROUND: Many risk factors for hip fractures have been suggested but have not been evaluated in a comprehensive prospective study. METHODS: We assessed potential risk factors, including bone mass, in 9516 white women 65 years of age or older who had had no previous hip fracture. We then followed these women at 4-month intervals for an average of 4.1 years to determine the frequency of hip fracture. All reports of hip fractures were validated by review of x-ray films. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 192 women had first hip fractures not due to motor vehicle accidents. In multivariable age-adjusted analyses, a maternal history of hip fracture doubled the risk of hip fracture (relative risk, 2.0; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.9), and the increase in risk remained significant after adjustment for bone density. Women who had gained weight since the age of 25 had a lower risk. The risk was higher among women who had previous fractures of any type after the age of 50, were tall at the age of 25, rated their own health as fair or poor, had previous hyperthyroidism, had been treated with long-acting benzodiazepines or anticonvulsant drugs, ingested greater amounts of caffeine, or spent four hours a day or less on their feet. Examination findings associated with an increased risk included the inability to rise from a chair without using one's arms, poor depth perception, poor contrast sensitivity, and tachycardia at rest. Low calcaneal bone density was also an independent risk factor. The incidence of hip fracture ranged from 1.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.5 to 1.6) per 1,000 woman-years among women with no more than two risk factors and normal calcaneal bone density for their age to 27 (95 percent confidence interval, 20 to 34) per 1,000 woman-years among those with five or more risk factors and bone density in the lowest third for their age. CONCLUSIONS: Women with multiple risk factors and low bone density have an especially high risk of hip fracture. Maintaining body weight, walking for exercise, avoiding long-acting benzodiazepines, minimizing caffeine intake, and treating impaired visual function are among the steps that may decrease the risk.

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PubMed1995

Bone mass measurements and risk of fracture in Caucasian women: a review of findings from prospective studies.

Prospective studies have shown that bone mass, measured by any method and at any site, is inversely related to a woman's risk of fracture. Most types of fractures are more frequent in women with low bone mass. Bone mineral density measured in the proximal femur appears to have a stronger relationship to risk of hip fracture than bone density measured in other sites. On the other hand, measurement of bone mass in the spine does not appear to be substantially superior to measurements of bone mass in other sites. Even after age 80, bone mass measurements have a strong predictive value for most types of fracture. A woman's lifetime risk of hip fracture can be estimated from bone mass measurements made in the perimenopausal period. Although an individual's level of bone mass may vary from site to site, the incremental value of measuring bone mass in more than one site is not certain. Bone mass measurements, perhaps in combination with other risk factors for fracture, help define individuals with a high risk of fracture who stand to benefit most from efforts to prevent fractures.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1995

Is postmenopausal estrogen therapy associated with neuromuscular function or falling in elderly women? Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

BACKGROUND: Muscle strength declines with advancing age; the causes of this are uncertain. In women, strength begins to decline around the time of menopause, suggesting that hormonal changes might influence strength. To determine the effect of postmenopausal estrogen use on muscle strength, neuromuscular function, and the risk of falling, we examined 9704 participants aged 65 years or more enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. METHODS: We measured hip abductor, triceps extensor, and hand-grip muscle strength, balance, gait speed, and self-reported functional disability. Falls during the first year of follow-up were determined from postcards that participants mailed every 4 months indicating whether they had fallen in the previous 4 months (> 99% complete follow-up). RESULTS: After adjusting for age, medications, medical history, and personal habits, current estrogen users did not differ in a clinically meaningful way from those who had never used estrogen on tests of hip abductor strength (mean difference, 0.15 kg; 95% confidence interval, -0.05 to 0.34 kg), triceps extensor strength (0.005 kg; -0.17 to 0.18 kg), or grip strength (0.30 kg; 0.00 to 0.59 kg). Gait speed, time to stand five times from a chair, balance, self-reported disability, and incidence of falls (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.87 to 1.44) also did not differ between current users and never users. In addition, current users were similar to past users on all measures. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that postmenopausal estrogen use has beneficial effects on muscle strength or neuromuscular function or that it reduces the risk of falling.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1995

Estrogen replacement therapy and fractures in older women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between estrogen replacement therapy and fractures. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four clinical centers in Baltimore County, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and the Monongahela Valley, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: 9704 ambulatory, nonblack women 65 years of age or older. MEASUREMENTS: Estrogen use, medical history, and anthropometric data were obtained by questionnaire, interview, and examination. Appendicular bone mass was measured by single-photon absorptiometry. Incident fractures were validated by radiographic report. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, current estrogen use was associated with a decrease in the risk for wrist fractures (relative risk [RR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.64) and for all nonspinal fractures (RR, 0.66; CI, 0.54 to 0.80) when compared with no estrogen use. Results were similar for women using unopposed estrogen or estrogen plus progestin, for women younger or older than 75 years of age, and for current smokers or nonsmokers. The effect of estrogen remained after adjustment was made for appendicular bone mass. The relative risk for hip fracture tended to be lower among current users (RR, 0.60; CI, 0.36 to 1.02) than among never-users. Estrogen was most effective in preventing hip fracture among those older than 75 years. Current users who started estrogen within 5 years of menopause had a decreased risk for hip fractures (RR, 0.29; CI, 0.09 to 0.92), wrist fractures (RR, 0.29; CI, 0.13 to 0.68), and all nonspinal fractures (RR, 0.50; CI, 0.36 to 0.70) when compared with women who had never used estrogen. Previous use of estrogen for more than 10 years or use begun soon after menopause had no substantial effect on the risk for fractures. CONCLUSIONS: Current use of estrogen appears to decrease the risk for fracture in older women. These results suggest that for protection against fractures, estrogen should be initiated soon after menopause and continued indefinitely.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Radiographic osteoarthritis of the hip and bone mineral density. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the cross-sectional association between radiographic features of hip osteoarthritis (OA) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the hip, spine, and appendicular skeleton among Caucasian women ages 65 and older who were participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. METHODS: Pelvis radiographs of 4,855 subjects were assessed for individual radiographic features of hip OA: osteophytes, joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis, cysts, and femoral head deformity. Hips were graded on a summary scale of 0 (no OA) to 4 (severe OA) based on the number of radiographic features present. Appendicular BMD was measured in all subjects, and hip and spine BMD in 84% of the group. We used linear regression to examine the association of BMD with hip OA, and to adjust for age, weight, and other determinants of bone mass. RESULTS: Three hundred fifty-one women (7.2%) had mild (grade 2) and 228 (4.7%) had moderate to severe (grade 3-4) radiographic evidence of hip OA. Women with grade 3-4 hip OA had a higher age-adjusted BMD at the femoral neck and Ward's triangle (9-10%; P < 0.0001), trochanter (4%; P < 0.01), lumbar spine (8%; P < 0.0001), and distal radius and calcaneus (5%; P < 0.0001 [for each comparison]) compared with those with grade 0-1 OA in the worse hip. Elevations in BMD were greatest in the femoral neck of hips with OA, in women with bilateral hip OA, and in women with hip osteophytes. These findings were essentially unchanged by adjustment for determinants of bone mass. CONCLUSION: Elderly Caucasian women with moderate to severe radiographic hip OA had higher BMD in the hip, spine, and appendicular skeleton than did women without hip OA. Our findings are consistent with a role of elevated BMD in the pathogenesis of hip OA.

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PubMed1995

Rheumatoid arthritis and bone mineral density in elderly women. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

Previous studies have suggested that women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in both the appendicular and axial skeleton. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the association of RA and BMD from a community-based sample of ambulatory Caucasian women age 65 and over. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the hip and lumbar spine and by single photon absorptiometry (SPA) at the distal radius and calcaneus. Study subjects included 120 postmenopausal women with RA who were further classified according to corticosteroid use, i.e., never users, current users, and ex-users, and 7966 age-similar controls. Elderly women with RA had a lower age-adjusted bone density of the distal radius, calcaneus, hip, and lumbar spine. Women with RA who were current users of steroids had the lowest BMD at both appendicular sites and at the hip, but those who never used steroids also had a significantly decreased BMD at all sites. The BMD of women with RA who had never used steroids remained significantly decreased at the distal radius, calcaneus, and hip after adjustment for age, BMD determinants, and functional outcomes of RA. Functional outcomes of RA largely accounted for the lower BMD of women who were currently using steroids. Women with RA have lower appendicular and axial bone mass that is not attributable to the use of steroids. Those currently taking steroids have even lower appendicular and axial bone mass that may reflect their poorer functional outcome and is likely to increase the risk of fractures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of methods for defining prevalent vertebral deformities: the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

Women with vertebral deformities caused by osteoporosis have more back pain and disability and are at higher risk for subsequent vertebral deformities than women without deformities. Despite the importance of vertebral deformities, there has been a great deal of controversy about how to identify or define them. In order to compare methods for defining vertebral deformities, we studied spinal radiographs from women in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF), a cohort study of 9704 non-black women over age 65 recruited from population-based listings in four clinical centers. Using radiographs obtained at the baseline exam, we compared five methods for defining vertebral deformities: one based on a semiquantitative reading by a radiologist and four using vertebral morphometry. The semiquantitative method was compared with the other methods in a random sample of 503 films, while the morphometric methods were compared with each other in a larger sample of 9575 films. We tested a system of "triage" in which only those films with evidence of deformity were assessed by morphometry. We compared the relationship between deformity, defined by each method, and a variety of clinical criteria including bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, height loss since age 25, back pain, and incidence of subsequent deformity. Semiquantitative reading and three of the four morphometry-based methods provided similar relationships to clinical criteria. The fourth morphometry method (based on ratios of each vertebral height to the corresponding height at T4) produced significantly weaker relationships for several of the clinical validation criteria. Triage of radiographs rarely resulted in missed deformities and did not reduce the performance of any of the methods. We conclude that use of any of the similar methods, with or without triage, provides a valid approach to defining vertebral deformities.

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PubMed1995

Hip and calcaneal bone loss increase with advancing age: longitudinal results from the study of osteoporotic fractures.

It is uncertain whether or how rapidly elderly women continue to lose bone with advancing age. To determine rates of change in bone mass at the hip and at the calcaneus in elderly women and to compare these rates of change among estrogen users and nonusers, we prospectively measured rates of change in bone mineral density (BMD) at the total hip and its four subregions (mean +/- SD, 3.55 +/- 0.29 years between examinations) and at the calcaneus (mean +/- SD, 5.69 +/- 0.33 years between examinations) in 5689 community-dwelling white women aged 65 years or older at the baseline examination. The rate of decline in total hip BMD steadily increased from 2.5 mg/cm 2/year (95% confidence interval 2.0 to 2.9) in women 67-69 years old to 10.4 mg/cm 2/year in those aged 85 or older (95% confidence interval 8.4 to 12.4). The rate of bone loss also increased with aging at all subregions of the hip and at the calcaneus. The average loss of bone from the total hip is sufficient to increase the risk of hip fracture by 21% per 5 years in women aged 80 years or older. Compared with nonusers, current estrogen users had a 33% lower age-adjusted mean rate of loss at the total hip (2.9 vs 4.3 mg/cm 2/year, p < or = 0.0001) and a 35% lower age-adjusted mean rate of loss at the calcaneus (3.9 vs 6.0 mg/cm 2/year, p < or = 0.0001). The rate of bone loss in the hip and calcaneus steadily increases with advancing age in older women. Estrogen therapy may significantly decrease this loss. Efforts to understand and prevent bone loss should include elderly women.

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PubMed1995

Is tubal ligation a risk factor for low bone density and increased risk of fracture?

OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis is a major women's health problem, because it is responsible for about 1.3 million fractures in the United States each year. Estrogen deficiency is a major risk factor in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Recent evidence has indicated that tubal ligation may cause menstrual dysfunction and estrogen deficiency. This study examined the association between tubal ligation and bone mass in a group of elderly postmenopausal women. STUDY DESIGN: Subjects were 2215 white women > or = 65 years old participating in the Baltimore center of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Bone mineral density of the proximal and distal radius and the calcaneus was measured by single photon absorptiometry. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine whether tubal ligation had an independent effect on bone density. The effect of tubal ligation on the risk of hip and osteoporotic fractures was estimated by Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Women who reported a tubal ligation had lower, although not statistically significant, bone density of the radius and calcaneus. The relative risk of hip (1.05, 95% confidence limit 0.84 to 1.32) and osteoporotic fractures (1.01, 0.80 to 1.29) was not significantly increased in women with tubal ligation. CONCLUSION: We conclude that elderly women who had a tubal ligation have small changes in bone density that are not of sufficient magnitude to increase their risk of osteoporotic fractures.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

Smoking, alcohol, and neuromuscular and physical function of older women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the associations of current and lifetime smoking and alcohol use with physical function in an older population. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Four clinic centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 9704 community-dwelling, ambulatory white women 65 years or older recruited from four areas of the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twelve performance tests of muscle strength, agility and coordination, gait and balance, and self-reported functional status. RESULTS: Compared with women who never smoked, current smokers had significantly poorer function on all of the performance measures except grip strength after adjusting for age, history of stroke, body mass index, clinic site, physical activity, and alcohol use (P < .05). This decrease in function was 50% to 100% as great as that associated with a 5-year increase in age, and most measures worsened with increasing numbers of pack-years. Compared with current moderate drinkers, nondrinkers had significantly poorer function on all of the performance measures except tandem walk (P < .05). Evaluation of a dose effect with alcohol was limited by the small number of heavy drinkers in the study. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, women who currently smoke are weaker and have poorer balance and poorer performance on measures of integrated physical function than nonsmokers. Smoking is associated with a decline in physical function. Current moderate drinkers have better physical function compared with nondrinkers, but associations of function with heavy drinkers could not be assessed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Falls.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1994

Prediction of hip fractures from pelvic radiographs: the study of osteoporotic fractures. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

To determine whether simple measurements made on conventional radiographs of the hip could predict hip fractures, we obtained pelvic radiographs on 9704 white women age 65 or older. We analyze the radiographs of all 162 women who subsequently suffered a hip fracture and 162 randomly selected women who did not. Adjusting for age, four measurements independently predicted hip fractures: reduced thickness of the femoral shaft cortex (odds ratio 1.7 per standard deviation; 95% confidence interval 1.2, 2.3) and of the femoral neck cortex (1.4 per standard deviation; 1.0, 1.9), reduction in an index of tensile trabeculae (2.0 per unit; 1.4, 2.9), and wider trochanteric region (1.4 per standard deviation; 1.0, 2.0). The combination of these four measurements predicted hip fracture at least as strongly as did measurement of bone density of the femoral neck (areas of the receiver-operating characteristic curve = 0.81 and 0.80, respectively). We conclude that simple measurements made on pelvic radiographs predict hip fractures as well as bone density of the hip.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

Automated evaluation of hip axis length for predicting hip fracture.

The hip axis length has been shown in previous studies to be predictive of hip fracture independent of age and femoral bone density. The first studies of hip axis length were performed by manual measurement of dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan printouts. In this study, an automated analysis procedure is defined using software tools provided by the DXA manufacturer. Manual and automatic hip axis length measurements in 198 women were highly correlated (r = 0.98). Because of scaling factors of the printout, the automatic measurement was 58% longer than the manual value. Precision of the automatic measurement, based upon triplicate DXA scans of 33 women, was 0.07 cm or 0.68%. To define normative data, the hip axis length was measured from femoral DXA scans of 471 female volunteers aged 40-92 scanned on 14 different Hologic QDR-1000 systems. Mean hip axis length was 10.5 cm, with a standard deviation of 0.62 cm. No significant relationship between hip axis length and age was found (r = 0.07, P = 0.15). Based on previously reported odds ratios corrected for femoral bone density, age, height, and weight, an automatic hip axis length measurement of 11.0 cm is associated with a twofold increase in hip fracture risk compared with a woman with an average hip axis length. A hip axis length value of 11.6 cm increases hip fracture risk by a factor of 4 compared with a woman with a normal hip dimension. We conclude that the hip axis length can be easily incorporated into existing DXA hip analysis software in combination with a bone density measurement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

Does estimating volumetric bone density of the femoral neck improve the prediction of hip fracture? A prospective study. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

Standard projectional bone density of the femoral neck (BMD), defined as bone mineral content divided by the projected area of the neck, predicts hip fractures but may not accurately estimate the true volumetric bone density of the femoral neck. To determine whether an estimate of the volumetric bone density of the neck, "bone mineral apparent density" (BMAD), would be a better predictor of hip fracture, we analyzed dual x-ray absorptiometry scans obtained prospectively from 7963 older white women, of whom 83 suffered a hip fracture during follow-up. Both BMD and BMAD were stronger predictors than bone mineral content (BMC) of the femoral neck. However, BMD and BMAD had very similar predictive values for hip fracture: each standard deviation decrease in either BMD or BMAD of the femoral neck increased the age-adjusted risk of hip fracture 2.6- to 2.7-fold. We conclude that BMD and BMAD of the femoral neck have a similarly strong predictive value for hip fracture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

Bone mineral density predicts non-spine fractures in very elderly women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

To determine the ability of bone density to predict fractures in very elderly women, we examined the association of bone density with non-spine, hip, wrist and humerus fractures in 8699 Caucasian women aged 65-79 years and 1005 women aged 80 years and older who were participants in the prospective Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Follow-up averaged 4.9 (+/- 1.0) years after baseline measurement of appendicular bone density (single-photon absorptiometry; Osteon-Osteo Analyzer) and 2.9 (+/- 0.6) years after measurement of hip and anteroposterior lumbar spine bone density (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; Hologic QDR 1000) at a later examination. In general, measurements of bone density in the oldest women retained their predictive value for fractures. Among women aged 80 and over a 1 standard deviation decrease in bone density of the distal radius was associated with an increased risk of non-spine (relative risk: 1.6; 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 1.8), wrist (1.7; 1.2, 2.4) and humerus fracture (2.9; 1.8, 4.7), while a 1 standard deviation decrease in femoral neck bone density was associated with an increased risk of non-spine (1.9; 1.6, 2.4), humerus (2.4; 1.2, 4.7) and hip fracture (2.1; 1.4; 3.2). However, only trochanteric but not femoral neck fractures were associated with low bone density in these oldest women. The excess risk of fracture in women with below-median bone density was greater in those aged 80 years and over compared with the younger women: 38.4 v 20.4 per 1000 woman-years for non-spine fracture and 12.2 v 3.2 per 1000 woman-years for hip fracture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

Racial differences in hip axis lengths might explain racial differences in rates of hip fracture. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

Compared with white women, Asian women have about a 40%-50% and blacks a 50%-60% lower risk of hip fracture, but the reason for this racial difference is not known. Women with a shorter hip axis have a lower risk of hip fracture. To test the hypothesis that a shorter hip axis length could account for the lower risk of hip fracture among Asian and black women, we measured hip axis length in 135 Caucasian, 74 Asian and 50 black women. The mean hip axis lengths of Asian and black women were significantly shorter (1.2 and 0.7 standard deviations, respectively) than that of the whites (p < 0.0001). We estimate that, compared with white women, Asians would have a 47% lower risk (95% confidence interval: 32%-63%) and blacks would have a 32% (15%-45%) lower risk of hip fracture because of their shorter hip axis. We conclude that a shorter hip axis length might be a major factor accounting for Asian women's lower risk of hip fracture and might contribute to the lower risk in black women.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Non-skeletal determinants of fractures: the potential importance of the mechanics of falls. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

Bones break because the forces applied to them exceed their strength. For most non-spine fractures, this force results from a fall. Falls generate at least 10 times the energy necessary to fracture the proximal femur, but only 5%-10% of falls in older white women cause fractures and only 1% cause hip fractures. The mechanics of the fall plays a very important role in whether a fracture will occur and which bone will fracture. This review postulates that orientation of the fall and location of the impact determine the type of fracture, and whether a fracture occurs depends on the energy of the fall (distance to impact and weight of the moving parts) and how much of that energy is absorbed by protective responses, the impact surface and soft tissues over the bone. Recent case-control studies support the view that the mechanics of a fall are the most important determinant of whether it will result in a hip fracture.

Accidental Falls↗