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Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between reduced muscle mass (sarcopenia) and areal bone mineral density (BMD(a)) in middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling European men. Men with sarcopenia had significantly lower BMD(a) and were more likely to have osteoporosis compared with men without sarcopenia., Introduction: In men, the relationship between reduced muscle mass (sarcopenia) and BMD(a) is unclear. This study aimed to determine this relationship in middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling men., Methods: Men aged 40-79 years from the Manchester (UK) and Leuven (Belgium) cohorts of the European Male Ageing Study were invited to attend for assessment including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, from which appendicular lean mass (aLM), fat mass (FM) and whole-body, spine and hip BMD(a) were determined. Relative appendicular skeletal muscle mass (RASM) was calculated as aLM/height². Muscle strength was assessed in subjects from Leuven. Sarcopenia was defined by RASM at <7.26 kg/m² and by the recent definition of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (RASM at <7.26 kg/m(2) plus low muscle function). Linear regression was used to determine the associations between aLM, FM, muscle strength and BMD(a) and logistic regression to determine the association between sarcopenia and osteoporosis., Results: Six hundred seventy-nine men with a mean age of 59.6 (SD = 10.7), contributed data to the analysis; 11.9 % were sarcopenic by the conventional definition. After adjustment for age and centre, aLM, RASM and FM were positively associated with BMD(a). Men with RASM at <7.26 kg/m² had significantly lower BMD(a) compared with those with RASM at ≥7.26 kg/m(2). In a multivariable model, aLM was most consistently associated with BMD(a). Men with sarcopenia were more likely to have osteoporosis compared with those with normal RASM (odds ratio = 3.0; 95 % CI = 1.6-5.8)., Conclusions: Sarcopenia is associated with low BMD(a) and osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly men. Further studies are necessary to assess whether maintaining muscle mass contributes to prevent osteoporosis.

Objectives: To determine the one year period prevalence of falls by age and sex in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the influence of concurrent medical treatment and disability on the occurrence of falls in this group., Methods: A consecutive series of rheumatoid patients aged 35 years and over, attending hospital outpatient clinics at Hope hospital, Salford, were asked to complete an interview assisted questionnaire which asked about the occurrence and number of falls in the previous 12 months., Subjects: who took part were asked about current treatment with antihypertensive agents, diuretics, sedatives or hypnotics, antidepressants, and a history of previous hip/knee surgery. They also completed the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). Logistic regression was used to determine the association between these variables and falls in the previous 12 months., Results: 253 men and women, mean age 62 years, were studied, and 84 (33%) reported falling in the previous year (36% of women and 26% of men). Of these, 52% had fallen on more than one occasion. There was no important increase in the frequency of falls with age. After adjusting for age and sex, those who had fallen in the previous year were more likely to report taking antidepressant treatment (odds ratio (OR) = 2.09) and to have impairment in both walking (OR = 1.37) and rising (OR = 1.41). The HAQ score was higher in those who reported a fall than those who did not, though the difference was not statistically significant., Conclusions: In this hospital based survey, one in three patients with rheumatoid arthritis reported falling in the previous 12 months. Falls were associated with self reported impairment in lower limb function.