[Sex- and age-dependent mineral content in bones of the Ural region residents].

Mineral content in samples of ribs, cranium, vertebra, sternum, diaphyses of long bones of lower extremities was analyzed in Urals residents in association with their age and gender. Bone mineral content was estimated in terms of gram per kilogram of wet weight of the sample. The period of sampling and measurements was 1958-1998, ages of persons studied varied form 0 to 99 years, the range of their years of birth was 1872-1984, total number of samples was 6901. The following regularities were found: 1) the rate of increase in bone mineral density in the period of childhood and youth varied from 1.3-1.5% per year in the rib to 0.5-0.9% per year in cranium and fibula; 2) for some bones (vertebrae, fibula, sternum, cranium) a period of insignificant changes of bone mineral content was observed; 3) the rate of bone mineral loss in elderly persons was dependent on gender and bone type, the rate was estimated in the range from 0.8% per year (fibula, in females after the age of 50) to 0.2-0.3% per year for other regions of the skeleton in both men and women. The comparison of data on bone mineral content obtained with different methods, is presented.