Several explanations for this loss have been proposed, including gradual skeletal deformation, fallen arches in the foot, and altered posture, as well as degenerative processes such as
.
The researchers wanted to see if the jawbone offers enough information about the skeleton’s overall state to predict future height decrease.
They investigated whether the condition of two proxies for general bone health (mineral density) in the jawbonecortical erosion (loss of the bone’s outer layer) and trabecular sparseness (thinning of the rods in the inner ‘honeycomb’ interior)could predict subsequent height loss in middle-aged women.
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They drew from the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden, a long-term study that began in 1968 and included women aged 38, 46, 50, 54, or 60 at the time. Each participant underwent at least two health and dental check-ups.
The current study comprised 933 women who were 38 (born in 1930), 46 (born in 1922), and 54 (born in 1914) years old in 1968 and had undergone health and dental check-ups at least twice during the monitoring period.
Height loss was calculated across three 12-year periods: 1968-1980, 1980-1992, and 1992-2005. The women were 62, 70, and 78 years old during the second phase, and 75 and 83 years old during the third.
Over the three observation intervals, the average yearly height loss was 0.075 cm, 0.08 cm, and 0.18 cm, for a total of 0.9 cm, 1 cm, and 2.4 cm for all three times.
The proportion of women with severe cortical erosion increased from little more than 3% in 1968-80 to slightly more than 11% in 1980-92 and just shy of 50% in 1992-2005. Similarly, the prevalence of sparse trabeculation grew from more than 20% in 1968-1980 to 33.5% in 1980-1992, and nearly 42% in 1992-2005.
Loss of Height is Higher in People with Cortical Erosion
Height loss was greatest in those with extensive cortical erosion and scant trabeculation in each period. Cortical erosion in 1968, 1980, and 1992 accurately projected 12 years of height reduction. Similarly, at all three-time points, scant trabeculation predicted considerable bone atrophy over the next 12 or 13 years.
With the exception of cortical erosion in the first of three monitoring periods (1968-80), further analyses correcting for potentially important characteristics such as height, birth year, physical activity levels, smoking, weight (BMI), and education gave the same results.
Because this is an observational study, no clear conclusions about cause and effect can be formed. The researchers also admit that people dropped participating in the final years of the trial, which may have influenced the findings, and that height reduction could indicate a variety of diseases.
The structural bone alterations identified in the study participant’s jawbones are expected to match those seen in the vertebrae, which would explain the probable height loss. According to the researchers, these changes are important in both height loss and osteoporosis.
“They may therefore serve as proxy indicators when screening in the early phases of bone degenerative pathogenesis, signaling the ongoing bone remodeling and the need for further clinical attention to older women at risk of height loss,” they suggest.
“Since most individuals visit their dentist at least every 2 years and radiographs are taken, a collaboration between dentists and physicians may open opportunities for predicting future risk of height loss,” they conclude.
Reference :
- Does mandibular bone structure predict subsequent height loss? A longitudinal cohort study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden – (https:bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/7/e066844)
Source: Medindia
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