What causes osteoporosis in children?
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021
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The disruption of bone mass accumulation in childhood can be the result of the interaction of many unfavorable factors, which can be summarized in the categories below.
Risk factors for osteoporosis in children and adolescents:
- genetic and anthropometric factors;
- female gender);
- age (period of intensive growth and maturation);
- nationality (belonging to the Caucasoid, Caucasian races);
- genetic predisposition;
- low body weight of the child at the moment, at birth; low body weight in parents;
- prematurity;
- hormonal factors;
- later on menarche (after 15 years);
- pregnancy;
- hypodynamia;
- excessive physical exertion;
- bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, abuse of coffee);
- features of nutrition;
- rickets, transferred in early childhood.
Among the external factors, hypokinesia and the unbalanced nature of nutrition have the greatest negative impact on bone metabolism in children.
Of particular importance is the deficiency of dietary calcium, which can occur with a normal "calcium" diet in case of excess in the diet, for example, phosphates, dietary fiber, reducing its absorption in the intestinal mucosa. Insufficient intake of calcium can be accompanied not only by a decrease in BMD, but also negatively affects the linear growth of the baby's bones.
Bone mass decreases with a deficiency in the diet of protein, phosphorus, iodine, fluoride; trace elements (magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese); vitamins, and not only vitamin D, but also vitamins of group B, K, and C.
Adverse effects on bone are fully realized with a definite hereditary predisposition to osteoporosis. According to different authors, genetic factors determine the variability of BMD by 50-80%.
The violation of the formation of bone matrix and its mineralization can be associated with polymorphism of the gene of the vitamin D receptor, estrogens, type I collagen, calcitonin, etc.
It was found that, when exposed to external risk factors, BMD significantly relieved more often if the child's relatives had indirect signs of osteoporosis, namely: the presence at any age of a fracture when falling from the height of their growth without acceleration; in the elderly - a decrease in growth, the appearance of stoop.