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[Bone mineral density in school age children born preterm ]

Aída Milinarsky1, Sylvia Fischer, Vinka Giadrosich

  • 1Departamentos de Pediatría y Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile. pediatria@uv.cl

Revista Medica De Chile
|January 28, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Children born preterm have lower bone mineral density at 5-7 years old. Bone mineral density in these children correlates with insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Bone health research
  • Neonatal follow-up studies

Context:

  • Bone mineral density (BMD) normalization timing in preterm infants is not well-established.
  • Preterm birth can impact long-term skeletal development.
  • Understanding skeletal outcomes in preterm children is crucial for growth monitoring.

Purpose:

  • To determine if bone mineral density (BMD) normalizes by 5 to 7 years of age in children born preterm.
  • To compare BMD in preterm children versus term-born controls.
  • To investigate factors associated with BMD in this cohort.

Summary:

  • A study of 26 preterm infants and 105 term controls aged 5-7 years found significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) in the preterm group.
  • BMD in preterm children was 0.273 +/- 0.01 g/cm2 compared to 0.302 +/- 0.01 g/cm2 in term controls (p < 0.001).
  • A positive correlation was observed between bone mineral density and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels (r = 0.49, p = 0.01).

Impact:

  • Preterm infants exhibit reduced bone mineral density (BMD) up to 7 years of age.
  • Insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a potential biomarker for bone health in preterm children.
  • Findings highlight the need for continued monitoring of bone health in individuals born preterm.
Abstract

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