Bone Health in Childhood Chronic Disease

Causality between Sex Hormones and Bone Mineral Density in Childhood: Age- and Tanner-Stage-Matched Sex Hormone Level May Be an Early Indicator of Pediatric Bone Fragility

This study aimed to investigate the impact of hypogonadism on bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adolescents with chronic diseases to determine the relationship between sex hormones and BMD. This retrospective study included 672 children and adolescents with chronic diseases such as hemato-oncologic, rheumatoid, gastrointestinal, and endocrinologic diseases. The relationship between the sex- and Tanner-stage-matched Z-scores for sex hormones and the sex- and age-matched lumbar spine BMD (LSBMD) Z-scores was evaluated. Adjustments were made for confounders such as underlying diseases, age at diagnosis, and age- and sex-matched body mass index Z-scores. Patients had a mean LSBMD Z-score of -0.55 ± 1.31. In the multivariate regression analysis, male testosterone showed a positive association with the LSBMD Z-score (p < 0.001), whereas female estradiol, luteinizing hormone, and follicular-stimulating hormone showed no significant association with the LSBMD Z-scores. In the male group, the testosterone level was associated with LSBMD Z-scores > -1.0 (p < 0.001), > -2.0 (p < 0.001), and > -3.0 (p = 0.002), while the estradiol level was associated with LSBMD Z-scores > -2.0 (p = 0.001) and > -3.0 (p = 0.002) in the female group. In conclusion, sex hormones are associated with BMD in children and adolescents with chronic diseases. Therefore, various measures may be necessary to predict future skeletal problems and improve bone health in these patients.

Assessment of Biochemical Bone Turnover Markers in Polish Healthy Children and Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Assessing bone turnover in paediatric populations is crucial for understanding the physiological changes occurring during skeletal development and identifying potential abnormalities. The objective of this study was to assess osteocalcin (OC), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) levels reflecting bone formation and resorption for age and sex in Polish healthy children and adolescents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 355 healthy normal-weight children and adolescents (46.5% girls) aged 1-18 years old were recruited. Total body less head (TBLH) and spine L1-L4 were used in children to assess bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Bone marker concentrations were determined by immunoenzymatic methods.

RESULTS

Bone marker levels in girls and boys started with higher values in the first year of life and subsequently decreased until reaching a nadir during the prepubertal period. The pubertal peak values of bone markers were reached at 11-13 years old in boys and at 9-11 years old in girls. After puberty, the adolescents showed a gradual decline in bone marker concentrations to the values observed in adults. We found positive correlations between OC level and TBLH-BMD (r = 0.329, p = 0.002), TBLH-BMD Z-score (r = 0.245, p = 0.023), and L1-L4 BMD (r = 0.280, p = 0.009) in the prepubertal group.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed serum levels of bone turnover markers-BALP, OC, and CTX-I-in relation to age and sex in healthy Polish children and adolescents. The age intervals of these markers for girls and boys aged 1-18 years old may be clinically useful in the assessment of bone metabolism in individuals with skeletal disorders.

Osteoporosis in children and adolescents: how to treat and monitor?

Osteoporosis is a condition of increased bone fragility associated with fractures. Apart from primary genetic osteoporotic conditions, secondary osteoporosis in children is being increasingly recognized. As a result, there is growing interest in its prevention and treatment. Important goals of care are to prevent fractures, increase bone mass and trabecular and cortical thickness, reshape vertebral fractures, prevent (or correct) skeletal deformities, and improve mobility, independence, and quality of life. Secondary pediatric osteoporosis is often of multifactorial origin since affected children frequently have more than one acquired factor that is detrimental to bone health. Typical conditions causing osteoporosis are leukemias, progressive muscle or neurological disorders, as well as chronic inflammatory conditions and their treatment. Management of children with osteoporosis involves a multidisciplinary team involving pediatric experts from different subspecialties. With regard to prevention and early intervention, it is important to provide optimal management of any underlying systemic conditions including avoidance, or dose-reduction, of osteotoxic medications. Basic supporting life-style measures, such as appropriate nutrition, including adequate calcium intake and vitamin D, and physical activity are recommended, where possible. When pediatric treatment criteria for osteoporosis are met, antiresorptive drugs constitute the first pharmacological line treatment.

CONCLUSION

This clinical review focuses on the prevention, treatment, and follow-up of children with, or at risk of developing, osteoporosis and the transition from pediatric to adult care.

WHAT IS KNOWN

• Osteoporosis and associated fractures can cause significant morbidity and reduce the quality of life. • The developing skeleton has huge potential for recovery and reshaping, thus early detection of fractures, assessment of recovery potential, and treatment of children with osteoporosis can prevent future fractures, deformities, and scoliosis, improve function and mobility, and reduce pain.

WHAT IS NEW

• Osteoporosis in children and adolescents requires a multidisciplinary approach with a thorough assessment of recovery potential, and indication for therapy should be personalized. • Although bisphosphonates still represent the drug most commonly used to increase bone mass, improve mobility, and reduce pain and recurrence of fractures, new agents are being developed and could be beneficial in children with specific conditions.

Bone health in childhood and adolescence: an overview on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning, fracture surveillance and bisphosphonate therapy for low-middle-income countries

Bone accrual in childhood determines bone health in later life. Loss of bone strength in early life can lead to increased morbidity and reduced quality of life in childhood and adolescence. Increased availability of assessment tools and bisphosphonate therapy, together with increased awareness on the significance of fracture history and risk factors, have led to greater opportunities, to improve detection and optimize management of children and adolescents with bone fragility globally, including those in lower resource settings. Bone mineral density z-scores and bone mineral content are surrogate measures of bone strength, which can be measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), in growing individuals. DXA can aid in the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary bone fragility disorders in childhood. DXA helps evaluate children with clinically significant fractures, and monitor those with bone fragility disorders, or at high risk for compromised bone strength. Obtaining DXA images can however be challenging, especially in younger children, due to difficulty in positioning and movement artefacts, while paediatric DXA interpretation can be confounded by effects of growth and puberty. Furthermore, access to DXA facilities as well as appropriate paediatric reference norms and expertise for interpretation, may not be easily available especially in lower resource settings. Pediatric bone experts are now placing increasing emphasis on the fracture phenotype and clinical context to diagnose osteoporosis over bone mineral density (BMD) by DXA. Low trauma vertebral fractures are now recognized as a hallmark of bone fragility, and spinal fracture surveillance by either conventional lateral thoracolumbar radiographs or vertebral fracture assessment by DXA is gaining increasing importance in diagnosing childhood osteoporosis, and initiating bone protective therapy. Furthermore, it is now understood that even a single, low-trauma long bone fracture can signal osteoporosis in those with risk factors for bone fragility. Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy is the mainstay of treatment for childhood bone fragility disorders. Other supportive measures to improve bone strength include optimizing nutrition, encouraging weight bearing physical activity within the limits of the underlying condition, and treating any associated endocrinopathies. With this paradigm shift in childhood osteoporosis evaluation and management, lack of DXA facilities to assess BMD at baseline and/or provide serial monitoring is not a major barrier for initiating IV bisphosphonate therapy in children in whom it is clinically indicated and would benefit from its use. DXA is useful, however, to monitor treatment response and optimal timing for treatment discontinuation in children with transient risk factors for osteoporosis. Overall, there is lack of awareness and paucity of guidelines on utilizing and adopting available resources to manage paediatric bone disorders optimally in lower-resource settings. We provide an evidence-based approach to the assessment and management of bone fragility disorders in children and adolescents, with appropriate considerations for lower resource settings including LMIC countries.

Bone Mineral Density and Serum 25OHD in Children and Adolescents With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Low bone mass is one of the complications of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). However, a study focusing on the low bone mass in children and adolescents with JIA in Southeast Asian countries is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) of Thai patients with JIA and identify factors correlated with BMD. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-care center. The BMD of the lumbar spines (BMDLS) and the total body (BMDTB) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Thirty-eight patients were enrolled between July 2015 and January 2016. No patient had low BMDLS, and only 2 (5.3%) had low BMDTB. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were significantly positively correlated with the BMDTB Z-score (coefficient: 0.047; 95% confidence interval = 0.011-0.082; P = .012). Our study demonstrated a very low prevalence of low bone mass. Optimization of the serum 25OHD level should be encouraged.

Friedreich ataxia: clinical features and new developments

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by ataxia and other neurological features, affects 1 in 50,000-100,000 individuals in the USA. However, FRDA also includes cardiac, orthopedic and endocrine dysfunction, giving rise to many secondary disease characteristics. The multifaceted approach for clinical care has necessitated the development of disease-specific clinical care guidelines. New developments in FRDA include the advancement of clinical drug trials targeting the NRF2 pathway and frataxin restoration. Additionally, a novel understanding of gene silencing in FRDA, reflecting a variegated silencing pattern, will have applications to current and future therapeutic interventions. Finally, new perspectives on the neuroanatomy of FRDA and its developmental features will refine the time course and anatomical targeting of novel approaches.

Prevalence of osteopathologies in a single center cohort of survivors of childhood primary brain tumor

Background

Childhood primary brain tumors (CPBT) are the second largest group of childhood malignancies and associated with a high risk for endocrine late effects.

Objective

To assess endocrine late effects and their relevance for the development of osteopathologies in survivors.

Methods

This single center cross sectional study investigated data from 102 CPBT survivors with a mean age of 13.0 years and a mean age at diagnosis of 8.7 years. Clinical, biochemical, radiographic, and anamnestic data regarding endocrine and bone health were obtained at study visits. In addition, data regarding tumor stage and therapy was obtained by chart review. An expert opinion was applied to define presence of osteopathologies.

Results

Impaired bone health, defined by at least one pathological screening parameter, was present in 65% of patients. 27.5% were found to have overt osteopathologies per expert opinion. 37.8% displayed a severe vitamin D deficiency (25-OH vitamin D < 10 ng/ml) and 11% a secondary hyperparathyroidism. Patients with osteopathologies had lower 25-OH vitamin D levels compared to patients without osteopathologies. Multiple endocrine late effects were present: diabetes insipidus in 10.8%, aberrant pubertal development in 13.7%, central hypocortisolism in 14.9%, thyroid dysfunction in 23.8% and growth hormone deficiency in 21.8%. A total of 31.3% of survivors displayed any endocrinopathy. Tumors located near hypothalamic structures and patients who received irradiation had a higher likelihood of endocrine morbidity.

Conclusion

This study indicates that endocrine deficiencies are common in pediatric survivors of CPBTs. Osteopathologies are present in this cohort. A prominent effect of hormonal deficiencies on bone health was not detected, possibly because patients were sufficiently treate for their endocrine conditions or indicating resilience of the childhood bone remodeling process. Vitamin D deficiency is frequent and should be treated as recommended.

Pediatric Liver Transplantation: Long-Term Follow-Up Issues

Pediatric liver transplant is an established life-saving procedure for children with end-stage liver diseases, achieving excellent graft and patient survival but with effects on quality of life and psychological welfare in the long-term. With the natural increase in the number of pediatric transplant patients becoming adults, it is essential to successfully plan and manage issues affecting late outcomes in the vulnerable pediatric transplant population. This study offers an overview of the long-term surgical complications, the consequences of immunosuppression (such as posttransplant diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and renal dysfunction), and the infection and malignancy risks. Finally, because quality of life is now an inclusive measurement of patient satisfaction, guidance on how to facilitate the transition to adulthood, empowering transplant recipients, is also provided.

Friedreich Ataxia: Multidisciplinary Clinical Care

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a multisystem disorder affecting 1 in 50,000-100,000 person in the United States. Traditionally viewed as a neurodegenerative disease, FRDA patients also develop cardiomyopathy, scoliosis, diabetes and other manifestation. Although it usually presents in childhood, it continues throughout life, thus requiring expertise from both pediatric and adult subspecialist in order to provide optimal management. The phenotype of FRDA is unique, giving rise to specific loss of neuronal pathways, a unique form of cardiomyopathy with early hypertrophy and later fibrosis, and diabetes incorporating components of both type I and type II disease. Vision loss, hearing loss, urinary dysfunction and depression also occur in FRDA. Many agents are reaching Phase III trials; if successful, these will provide a variety of new treatments for FRDA that will require many specialists who are not familiar with FRDA to provide clinical therapy. This review provides a summary of the diverse manifestation of FRDA, existing symptomatic therapies, and approaches for integrative care for future therapy in FRDA.