BONE-MINERAL DENSITY IN CHILDREN WITH MILD OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA

We used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to compare the bone mi neral density (BMD) of nine children aged from 2 years 7 months to 13 years 5 months who had mild osteogenesis imperfecta with an age- and s ex-matched control group. The patients had only mild clinical symptoms but DEXA detected highly significant differences in BMD between them and the controls. The mean BMD in the children with osteogenesis imper fecta was 76.7% of normal in the lumbar spine (p < 0.001) and 71.2% of normal in the femoral neck (p < 0.001). DEXA is an objective, reprodu cible and sensitive method of measurement of BMD in children. It may h elp to establish the diagnosis, to assess prognosis and possibly to mo nitor the response to different types of treatment.