PURPOSE:Bone mineral mass increases with age, weight and pubertal development. Several factors influence the process of bone mineralization, and evaluation of bone mineral density(BMD) in children gives important clue to the different mechanisms of bone mass accumulation. To investigate the abnormality in bone mineralization, the normal range of bone mineral content in healthy children should be understood. The pattern, time and velocity in the decrease of bone mineral contents depend on disease entities. Because the ratio of trabecular and cortical bones and turn-over rates differ in each bone, it is needed to make normal data for trabecular and cortical bones respectively in children. METHODS:In 75 children(40 boys) with normal growth and development, BMD was measured with XR26 Bone densitometry using DEXA. The BMD of trabecular bone was obtained at lumbar spine at 2-4 level, and that of cortical bone was measured at femur neck. RESULTS:The BMD of trabecular bone increased with age without sexual difference. But the BMD of cortical bone was higher in male significantly at 8-9 and 10-11 yr of age. In both male and female, the BMD of trabecular and cortical bones correlated positively with age, bone age, height, weight, and body surface area. CONCLUSION: With this data, the changes in BMD affected by several diseases could be assessed.
Body Surface Area ; Bone Density* ; Calcification, Physiologic ; Child* ; Densitometry ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Growth and Development* ; Humans ; Male ; Reference Values ; Spine