Fourier transform infrared analysis and bone

Excerpt

Loss of bone mass, measured clinically as change in bone mineral density (BMD), is considered an important risk factor for bone fragility. However, BMD is not the sole predictor of whether an individual will experience a fracture [1, 2], and there is considerable overlap in BMD between populations that do and do not develop fractures [3‐5]. It has been demonstrated that for a given bone mass, an individual's risk to fracture increases with age [6]. Consistent with these findings, numerous investigators have shown that mechanical variables directly related to fracture risk are either independent [7] or not totally accounted for bone mass itself [8‐12]. Epidemiological evidence also shows considerable overlap of bone density values between fracture and non-fracture groups suggesting that low bone quantity alone is an insufficient cause of fragility fractures [13‐15]. It is becoming evident then, that in addition to BMD, bone quality should also be considered when assessing bone strength and fracture risk. Bone quality is a broad term encompassing a plethora of factors such as geometry and bone mass distribution, trabecular bone microarchitecture, microdamage, increased remodeling activity, along with genetics, body size, environmental factors, and changes in bone mineral and matrix tissue properties [4, 5]. …