Diminished secretion of growth hormone is responsible in part for the decrease of lean body mass, the expansion of adipose-tissue mass, and the thinning of the skin that occur in old age.

We measured by photon absorptiometry the bone density at six sites in 65 nursing home men aged 57-85 y and in 25 independent community men aged 57-80 y. Average bone density in the community men ranged from 97% to 105% of age-matched normal men. In the nursing home men these values ranged from 71% to 92% of age-matched normal men (p less than 0.05 for comparison with the community men). About 50% of the nursing home men but none of the community men had a value less than 70% of age-matched normal men at one or more sites. Among the institutionalized men bone densities at all six sites (in g/cm2) were significantly (p less than 0.05) and directly correlated with body weight but were not significantly correlated with height, age, principal or secondary diagnoses, continuing medications, or functional level.

No abstract