Long term follow-up of bone mineral status in children with renal disease

Bone mineral content (BMC) was measured by photon absorptiometry in the non-dominant forearm of children with chronic renal failure followed for a total of 2472 months. From 48 children, 302 measurements were made, and changes which occurred in BMC over time were correlated with several factors. Patients were divided into those who had received glucocorticoids (group 1) and those who had not (group 2). Group 1 patients had a lower mean serum creatinine (Cr) (p less than 0.05), a lower growth velocity (p greater than 0.02) and were more demineralized than group 2 patients. There was no correlation between BMC and height velocity or estimated creatinine clearance. BMC and height Z-score (SDS) were highly correlated. Over the period of study, group 1 patients remained shorter, had a lower height velocity, a lower BMC Z-score and a lower BMC for each serum creatinine level. Long-term therapeutic intervention with oral 1,25(OH)2D improved bone mineral status in three children in the nonsteroid group, but none of those in the steroid group. This study demonstrates that steroid administration is probably the most important factor causing bone demineralization, possibly even more important than renal failure.