Nov 21, 2007 6:52 pm US/Eastern
Low Bone Density Often Overlooked In Children
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Low bone density is often associated with the elderly, but it can strike the youngest patients.
CBS
Low bone density is often associated with the elderly, but it can strike the youngest patients.
Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn shows us how doctors at the Kennedy Krieger Institute are diagnosing and treating the problem in children.
Low bone density in children is often missed. If it's left untreated, it can lead to multiple fractures and possible bone deformities. Doctors in Baltimore have found a way to better diagnose the condition, giving patients earlier intervention and a better prognosis.
It was her eight-year-old daughter's walk that originally sent Andrea Soloman to seek a doctor's opinion. She was concerned that Rebecca's toes turned inward.
"And the doctor there took an x-ray and said that her in-toeing is fine but was concerned that her bones looked thin," Soloman said.
X-rays revealed a problem that is often missed in young people--low bone density.
"When you don't have enough bone, you're more susceptible to injury and that injury is fracture," said Dr. Jay Shapiro, Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Doctors say fragility fractures, those that occur with little trauma, are commonly the result of low bone density.
"She had one fracture when she was five. She was running on a floor and fell and her arm broke in two places," Soloman said.
But like many patients, Rebecca's mom thought nothing of it. The only way to diagnose low bone density in its earliest stages is with bone density scanners like the one at the Kennedy Krieger Bone Center.
"They are probably the best tests we have of estimating how much bone is there," Shapiro said.
Most patients take drugs known as bisphosphonates to reduce bone loss. Calcium, vitamin D and muscle-strengthening exercises are also common treatments.
"I have calcium medicine and vitamin D pills," Rebecca said.
With proper treatment, she is expected to restore much of the bone density she lacks.
"You want your child to be normal and I don't want her to have to go to a friend's house and worry that she'll fall and break her bones," Soloman said.
Children who have a family history, those in wheelchairs and children with certain neurodevelopmental disorders have a higher risk of low bone density.
If you'd like to help raise money for programs offered at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, check out this year's Festival of Trees. The event takes place Nov. 23-25 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
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