Bone mineral content in ancient Greenlandic Eskimos

Abstract

Bone mineral content (BMC) of the distal forearm was measured by single photon absorptiometry (SPA). and bone mineral density (BMD) of the total arm was measured by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) in four arms from the archaeological Qilakitsoq Eskimo burial. One arm was within normal Danish range with both SPA and DPA and one arm was subnormal with both methods. One arm from a four-year-old boy which was only measured by SPA was below the lower normal limit. and one arm was inside normal range with SPA. and below with DPA.

Although the two methods were not totally in agreement the results indicate the possibility of an increased prevalence of osteopenia in the Qilakitsoq Eskimos.