African Americans had lower trabecular bone scores (TBS) than whites did, even with adjustment for age and tissue thickness, a recent study found. TBS, an indirect measure of bone structure, has been shown to predict fractures in predominantly white populations; ethnic differences in TBS should be considered when assessing fracture risk in clinical practice. Researchers retrospectively analyzed all bone mineral density (BMD) scans obtained at a university hospital in Chicago between 2011 and 2016. There were 3,187 women (51 % African American) and 675 men (32 % African American). They found:

• African American women had higher T-scores at all sites (the lowest of T-scores, termed LowT, −1.5 ± 1.2 vs. −1.9 ± 1.0) but lower TBS than white women even when adjusting for age and tissue thickness.
• While LowT was higher in African American men, TBS was lower than in white men even after adjusting for age and tissue thickness.