Association between rheumatoid arthritics and osteoporosis among Chinese men, a community based study

Background: The main purpose of this study was to estimate the associations between rheumatoid arthritics (RA) and osteoporosis (OP) in general Chinese men. Methods: We conducted a large-scale, community-based, cross-sectional study to investigate the associations by using self-report questionnaire to access medical history. A total of 1041 men were recruited sis in this study. Multiple regression models controlling for confounding factors to include RA were performed to investigate the relationships for OP. Results: Univariate analysis indicated there was no significant association between RA and T-score (P = 0.103), however, significant association between RA and OP was reported (P = 0.005). Multiple regression analysis indicated that RA was significantly associated with OP (P = 0.013, OR = 3.191 95% CI: 1.284-7.932). The men with RA had a significant higher prevalence of OP. Conclusion: The findings indicated that RA was independently and significantly associated with OP. The prevalence of OP was less frequent in Chinese men without RA.