To assess the influence of corticosteroids in the mineral content of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA), 56 patients, 28 with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and 28 with temporal arteritis (TA) were studied.
The bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine and the femoral neck was measured by dual photon X-ray absorptiometry. A control group (48 people) comparable in age and sex was also evaluated.
Compared with the controls, the patients with GCA had lower values of BMD in the femoral neck (men: p < 0.03; women: p < 0.001). In the lumbar spine differences were significant in women (p < 0.05) but not in men (p < 0.1). Multiple regression analysis showed that the BMD at L2-L4 in men correlated with height and weight and was inversely related to the cumulative dose of corticosteroids and the duration of treatment. The BMD at L2-L4 in women correlated with height and weight, but not with corticosteroids. Multiple regression analysis in men showed that age and the total dose of corticosteroids were significant independent predictors of femoral BMD. In women BMD in the femoral neck was correlated with age and weight, but not with corticosteroid treatment.
The total dose and duration of corticosteroid treatment have been shown to be determinant factors of bone mass in patients with GCA who received corticosteroids.