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Published on: January 29, 2018

Evaluation of radial bone mineral content in prepubertal children with constitutional delay of growth

M N Moreira-Andrés1, F J Cañizo, F J de la Cruz

  • 1Servicio de Endocrinología, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Carretera de Andalucía, Madrid, Spain. fjcanizo@arrakis.es

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism : JPEM
|July 25, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Children with constitutionally delayed growth (CDG) exhibit lower radial bone mineralization compared to familial short stature (FSS). This study confirms reduced bone density in the radius for CDG children, independent of body size.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Bone Metabolism
  • Growth Disorders

Background:

  • Previous research indicated lower spinal bone mineralization in children with constitutionally delayed growth (CDG) compared to familial short stature (FSS).
  • The radius, a bone with lower turnover than the spine, was investigated to determine if it is also affected by decreased bone mineralization in CDG.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess if children with constitutionally delayed growth (CDG) also exhibit decreased bone mineralization in the radius.
  • To investigate bone mineral content (RBMC) and bone mineral density (RBMD) in the radius of short children, accounting for bone and body size.

Main Methods:

  • Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1000/w) was used to measure radial bone mineral content (RBMC) and radial bone mineral density (RBMD).
  • The study included 56 short prepubertal children (aged 5-11 years), with 29 diagnosed with CDG and 27 with FSS.
  • Data were corrected for bone and body size to mitigate potential artifacts.

Main Results:

  • Children with CDG showed significantly lower radial bone mineral density (RBMD) compared to the FSS group (0.361 +/- 0.035 vs 0.385 +/- 0.033 g/cm2, p<0.05).
  • Radial bone mineral content (RBMC) was also significantly lower in the CDG group after adjusting for radial scanned bone area (RSBA), body weight, height, sex, and bone age (p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

  • Decreased bone mineralization in children with constitutionally delayed growth (CDG) extends to peripheral bone, specifically the radius.
  • These findings are not attributable to bone or body size variations, highlighting a systemic issue in bone health for children with CDG.

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