TOTAL-BODY BONE-MINERAL DENSITY IN YOUNG-CHILDREN - INFLUENCE OF HEADBONE-MINERAL DENSITY

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with its short scan time, low r adiation dose, and high precision and accuracy have made this techniqu e particularly suitable for measuring total body bone mineral density (TBMD) in children, Other published reports have related TBMD to age i n children 2-18 years of age, However, in young normal children aged 2 -9 years (51 girls, 43 boys), we found that regression equations for T BMD with age as the predictor did not explain enough of the variance t o warrant their use for predicting TBMD (adjusted R(2) 0.47, females; 0.41, males), Subtotal BMD (TBMD - head BMD) is predicted better by ag e because of a possibly invalid adult algorithm for head BMD (adjusted R(2) 0.73, females; 0.71, males).