BACKGROUND Little information is available on the occurrence of generalized osteopenia in psoriatic arthritis. The only two published studies of bone mass in psoriatic arthritis produced conflicting results. METHODS We compared bone mineral density measured at the lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 52 patients with active peripheral psoriatic arthritis and in 52 controls. The psoriatic arthritis group included 19 males, 14 premenopausal women, and 19 post-menopausal women. Controls were matched to the patients on sex, age, and menopausal status. RESULTS In the overall study population no significant differences were found between psoriatic arthritis patients and controls. Postmenopausal psoriatic arthritis patients had a lower femoral neck bone mineral density than the relevant subgroup of controls. No significant differences in lumbar spine bone mineral density were found in the analyses of the male, premenopausal female, and postmenopausal female subgroups. Neither was femoral neck density significantly different between male or premenopausal female psoriatic arthritis patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that peripheral psoriatic arthritis is not associated with significant generalized bone loss.