Osteoporotic Changes after Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The measurements of bone mass were carried out by DIP method which was a X-ray microdensimetry of the bliateral second metacarpus in 36 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, not treated by corticosteroid.The bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis was only slow from the periartical region of affected wrist joint.The bone loss in post menoposal patients was much more rapid than in premenoposal patients.The patients who had good results by the medical therapy for rheumatoid arthritis produced no significant changes of bone loss. But the rate of bone loss was more rapid in the patients who had poor results.We thought that the therapy of osteoporotic changes with medical therapy for rheumatoid athritis was necessary.