Abstract

SUBY, Jorge A et al. Exploraciones de la densidad mineral ósea y osteopenia en poblaciones humanas antiguas de Patagonia austral. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2013, vol.14, n.2, pp.433-445. ISSN 1850-373X.

One tool used to generate information about metabolic health in past human population is the analysis of bone mineral density (BMD). To date, this kind of evidence has not been available for human populations from southern Patagonia. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the BMD of human remains of individuals from southern Patagonia and their possible relationship to age and the impact of native- European contact. The BMD values of femoral neck (DMOc, in this paper) and Ward´s triangle (DMOt) of 15 adult human skeletons were studied by DEXA, at the Instituto Radiológico Mar del Plata. The results showed a reduction of BMD greater than 25% in women older than 30 years in relation to the group of younger women, which may be related to maternity and nutritional deficits. On the contrary, men did not show BMD reductions associated with age. In both cases, BMD differences were not observed between individuals from pre and post contact periods.

Keywords : Bone mineral density; Archaeological human bone; Southern Patagonia; Paleopathology.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )