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Bone Mineral Density in Children Exposed to Chronic Glucocorticoid Therapy
Valeria C. Cohran*,
Mark Griffiths,
and
James E. Heubi
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: vcohran{at}childrensmemorial.org.
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Abstract |
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The objective of this study was to determine the impact of glucocorticoid exposure on lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) in children while concurrently measuring their calcium intake, serum 25-OH vitamin D levels, and physical activity. Forty-three patients (4-18 years) with renal glomerular diseases, dermatomyositis, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, post–solid organ transplant, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy were studied. All received at least 5 mg per day of prednisone for more than 6 months. The mean BMD z score was 0 ± 0.2 (range, -3.8 to +3.3) with 2 patients (5%) having z scores less than -2. The mean daily calcium intake was 1147 ± 145 g, with 1 patient having hypovitaminosis D (<15 ng/mL). The mean physical activity level was 7.8 ± 0.8 h/wk. The small reductions in BMD observed in our population suggest that screening is likely not warranted in all children with chronic glucocorticoid exposure.
First published on March 31, 2008, doi:10.1177/0009922807311732
Clinical Pediatrics 2008;47:469.
A more recent version of this article appeared on June 1, 2008

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