Bone mineral density, nutritional status, and long bone fractures in children
Keywords:
Fracture,, children, bone mineral density, nutrition, amount of energyAbstract
A transverse cohort study was conducted in 66 children, 43 male and 23 female, aged 2.0
to 14.5 years, who were consecutively admitted from March through July 2009 because of
long-bones fracture, to correlate the amount of energy (AOE) required to produce the fracture
compared to bone mineral density (BMD, by Z-Score) and the nutritional condition (NC) of
patients. Fractures were 34 supracondylar humeral (51.5%), radio-ulnar 19 (28.8%), femur
shaft-distal 5 (7.6%) and tibia-ankle 8 (12.1%). Results demonstrated a parallel correlation-
ship between the higher age and higher energy required for a fracture (p = 0.001). As well,
BMD was higher as patients grew-up in age (Spearman p = 0.0001). No true relationship was
found between AOE and the NC, as most children (81.8%) addressed a normal body weight.
In spite of a tendency to decrease BMD in the 6.1% of the obese children, figures were not
significantly different to those with normal body weight (KW p = 0.70). When matching trauma
energy to observed BMD, this was lower than expected in mild or low energy fractures. Values
of observed BMD and expected BMD values were obtained by regression test. Global results
demonstrated a straight correlationship among cases of tibial-ankle fractures and a higher
energy required for a fracture in older children (ages 12 to 14 years) in whom observed BMD
was somewhat higher than expected BMD.
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