Osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis

In 37 women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the bone mass was evaluated by measurements of cortical thickness in the hand, forearm and femur, densitometry of the distal femur, and ranking of the degree of osteoporosis in the spine. There was evidence that rheumatoid arthritis produces general osteoporosis, particularly in conjunction with cortico-steroid therapy.Financial support was obtained from Signe och Reinhold Sunds stiftelse för reumatikerforskning R.D.=nr 1380/69, and The Swedish Medical Research Council (B70-23 X-2757-02).