In a study, researchers have found an association between bone density and facial wrinkles.
"This information," Pal said, "may allow for the possibility of identifying postmenopausal women at fracture risk at a glance, without dependence on costly tests," said Lubna Pal, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and associate professor
at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
The results of the study will be presented Monday, June 6, at the Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.
The study
The 114 women who participated in the study had to meet the following criteria:
- They were in their late 40s and early 50s.
- They had their last period within the last three years.
- They were not taking hormone therapy.
- They had not had cosmetic surgery.
The women were evaluated for the number and severity of wrinkles on their face and neck. They were also evaluated for skin firmness with a gauge called a durometer. Their bone density was checked with a dual X-ray absorptiometry and a portable heel ultrasound probe.
"Ultimately, we want to know if intensity of skin wrinkles can allow identification of women who are more likely to fracture a bone, especially the femoral neck or the hip, an often fatal injury in older people," said Pal. "If this is the case, then including the study of skin wrinkles to other clinical risk factors may allow identification of fracture risk in populations that do not have access to more costly technology."
The study is associated with a trial called the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study, funded by the Aurora Foundation and the Kronos Longevity Research Institute. Both organizations are located in Phoenix.
Resources
Kaiser Santa Clara
1814 Franklin Street, Suite 620
Oakland, CA 94612
Oakland, CA 94612
888-266-3015
(free bone health hotline)
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