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Published on: January 29, 2018
Bone health in children with recurrent and chronic pancreatitis: A multi-center cross sectional analysis
Maisam Abu-El-Haija1, Lindsey Hornung2, Kate Ellery3
1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Insights
Children with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) or chronic pancreatitis (CP) show impaired growth and lower bone mineral density (BMD) compared to healthy children. Monitoring bone health in these pediatric patients is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- Bone Metabolism
Background:
- Bone health in children with pancreatitis is understudied.
- Acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) significantly impact pediatric health.
- Limited data exists on growth and bone mineral accrual in pediatric pancreatitis patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the bone health status in children diagnosed with ARP or CP.
- To compare height and bone mineral density (BMD) in pediatric pancreatitis patients against healthy controls.
- To identify potential deficits in growth and bone mineral acquisition in this population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study design utilizing data from the INSPPIRE-2 registry.
- Inclusion of data from 87 pediatric patients with ARP (53%) and CP (47%).
- Assessment of height-for-age and height-adjusted bone mineral density (BMD) using DXA scans.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of low height-for-age (Z-score < -2) was 13% in the study cohort.
- Prevalence of low height-adjusted BMD (Z-score < -2) was 6.4%.
- Both low height-for-age and low BMD were significantly higher than in healthy reference populations (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.03, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Children diagnosed with ARP or CP exhibit significantly lower height and BMD compared to their healthy peers.
- Growth and bone mineral accrual deficits are prevalent in children with pancreatic diseases.
- Clinical attention to monitoring growth and bone health is essential for pediatric patients with pancreatitis.
Background/Objectives:
Bone health of children with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) is not well studied.
Methods:
This retrospective study was performed at three sites and included data from INSPPIRE-2.
Results:
Of the 87 children in the study: 46 had ARP (53%), 41 had CP (47%). Mean age was 13.6 ± 3.9 years at last DXA scan. The prevalence of low height-for-age (Z-score < -2) (13%, 10/78) and low bone mineral density (BMD) adjusted for height (Z-score < -2) (6.4%, 5/78) were higher than a healthy reference sample (2.5%, p < 0.0001 and p = 0.03, respectively).
Conclusion:
Children with ARP or CP have lower height and BMD than healthy peers. Attention to deficits in growth and bone mineral accrual in children with pancreatic disease is warranted.
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