Corticosteroids do not alter the threshold for vertebral fracture.

Corticosteroid use is one of the most important secondary causes of osteoporosis. Generally, it has been believed that in addition to its effect on bone mineral density (BMD), it also causes an alteration in bone quality that means that fractures occur at a lower BMD than might be expected. To establish if this is the case, we have compared the relationship between BMD and vertebral fracture in patients receiving corticosteroids with that in patients who had never received such therapy. Information was gathered on those patients who had been referred to the participating centers and had both BMD measurements and lateral thoracolumbar radiographs. In all, 452 patients (391 female) were identified; of these 82 (63 female) were receiving corticosteroids. There was no significant difference in BMD between the patients on corticosteroids and those with other suspected causes of osteoporosis. Vertebral fractures were present in 53% of patients on steroids compared with 35% of those who had no such treatment (p = 0.0035). The fractures were more likely to be multiple in patients on corticosteroids (p = 0.0042). However, if the relationship between bone density and fracture is investigated by plotting the cumulative prevalence of fracture against the bone density, measured by T score, the median BMD for fractures actually was marginally lower in patients on steroids, -2.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.77 to -2.70) compared with -2.65 (95% CI, -2.66 to -2.65) in those who had not received steroids. Our results fail to support the notion that the fracture threshold is altered in patients on long-term steroids and suggest that the same diagnostic criteria should be used for osteoporosis in patients whether or not they are taking corticosteroid therapy.

Periostitis in secondary syphilis: a place for bone scintigraphy.

Two cases of secondary syphilis are reported with periostitis as the main presenting feature. Technetium-99m bone scintigraphy was found to be superior to radiography in both defining the extent of involvement and in picking up early lesions.

Can peripheral DXA measurements be used to predict fractures in elderly women living in the community?

While axial dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the accepted "gold standard" method both for diagnosing osteoporosis and predicting fractures, appropriate equipment is not universally available. Peripheral bone mass measurements may have the potential to identify patients at risk of fracture and to be used to target appropriate treatment. We assessed the effectiveness of peripheral DXA (PIXI, GELunar) in the assessment of risk and targeting treatment to prevent future fracture in 7,604 women aged 60-80 from five centres across Britain. At enrolment women completed a lifestyle and risk factor questionnaire and had a PIXI DXA scan of the heel. Women were categorised by PIXI DXA bone mineral density (BMD) into high, medium or low risk of future osteoporotic fracture. Treatment was recommended to those at highest risk. Follow-up was by simple questionnaire 18-24 months after baseline assessment. Seventy-four percent returned the follow-up questionnaire. The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves for any fracture and osteoporotic fracture were comparable to those published using other sites and technologies. A 1-SD decrease in PIXI BMD was associated with an 86% increase in risk of osteoporotic fracture. Of the women identified as high risk, 74% had started treatment following their heel scan and 84.7% continued to take treatment at follow-up. No significant difference was noted in fracture rates in those who started treatment after assessment compared to those who did not. While peripheral DXA is highly effective for predicting older women who are at increased risk of future fracture, it has yet to be established as an effective method for targeting bisphosphonate or other therapy.

Benoxaprofen: side-effect profile in 300 patients.

Out of 300 patients who had taken benoxaprofen for a mean of 6.4 months, 196 (65.3%) reported side effects, resulting in 104 patients (34.6%) having the drug withdrawn. Out of 42 patients aged over 70, 35 (83.3%) had side effects and 29 (69.0%) had the drug withdrawn because of them. cutaneous side effects accounted for 180 (69.5%) of all 259 side effects reported. The commonest cutaneous side effect was photosensitivity, which occurred in 86 patients (28.6%). Photosensitivity, which occurred in half of the patients treated in the summer, resulted in withdrawal of benoxaprofen in 26 (30.2%) of the patients who experienced it. Onycholysis was observed in 38 patients (12.6%) and was frequently unnoticed by patients. The overall incidence of gastric side effects was 12.6% (38 patients), and the figure rose to 40.5% (17 cases) in patients over 70. During treatment with benoxaprofen one patient developed an active duodenal ulcer but no cases of major gastrointestinal haemorrhage occurred. Multiple subepidermal cysts (milia) were observed in 16 patients, who had been treated for a mean of 10.8 months. These findings show that benoxaprofen is a potent phototoxic drug and that the manufacturers' recommended dosage of 600 mg daily is associated with an unacceptable incidence of side effects in the elderly.

A decade of skeletal tuberculosis.

Thirty-eight of 58 patients with skeletal tuberculosis (TB) reviewed were immigrants and 20 were of British indigenous origin. Spinal involvement i 28 cases was less common than involvement of peripheral joints, bones, or tendon sheaths (30 cases). Predisposing factors, including previous TB, were present in 70% of British patients and 31% of immigrants. Follow-up study of 23 cases showed that a complete clinical recovery of the skeletal disease was more likely in immigrants than indigenous cases and also in cases referred to hospital early. Immigrants presented usually within 5 years after arrival in Britain and at a younger age than indigenous cases; a quarter had within 5 sites of infection outside the skeletal system. Skeletal tuberculosis in the indigenous population remains very uncommon, and in half of these cases a history of previous TB was given. The need for continued awareness of skeletal TB is stressed, especially in immigrants, and also the importance of early diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy.