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What causes osteoporosis in children?
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Impaired bone mass accumulation in childhood may result from the interaction of many adverse factors, which can be summarized in the categories presented below.
Risk factors for osteoporosis in children and adolescents:
- genetic and anthropometric factors;
- gender (female);
- age (period of intensive growth and maturation);
- nationality (belonging to the European, Caucasian races);
- genetic predisposition;
- low birth weight of the child at the moment, at birth; low birth weight of the parents;
- prematurity;
- hormonal factors;
- late onset of menarche (after 15 years);
- pregnancy;
- physical inactivity;
- excessive physical activity;
- bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, coffee abuse);
- nutritional features;
- rickets suffered in early childhood.
Among the environmental factors, the greatest negative impact on children's bone metabolism is exerted by hypokinesia and unbalanced nutrition.
Of particular importance is the deficiency of dietary calcium, which can also occur with a normal "calcium" diet in the case of excess in the diet, for example, phosphates, dietary fiber, which reduce its absorption in the intestinal mucosa. Insufficient calcium intake can be accompanied not only by a decrease in BMD, but also negatively affect the linear growth of the child's bones.
Bone mass decreases with a deficiency in the diet of protein, phosphorus, iodine, fluorine; microelements (magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese); vitamins, and not only vitamin D, but also vitamins B, K, C.
The adverse effect on bone is fully realized with a certain hereditary predisposition to osteoporosis. According to various authors, genetic factors determine the variability of BMD by 50-80%.
Disruption of bone matrix formation and its mineralization may be associated with polymorphism of the gene of the receptor of vitamin D, estrogen, type I collagen, calcitonin, etc.
It was found that under the influence of external risk factors, BMD was significantly more often reduced if the child's relatives had indirect signs of osteoporosis, namely: the presence of a fracture at any age when falling from one's own height without acceleration; in old age - a decrease in height, the appearance of a stoop.