Low vertebral cancellous bone density in peripubertal girls with Turner's syndrome and boys with hypogonadism.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize the changes of vertebral cancellous bone density in children with hypogonadism.


METHODS
Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) values of vertebral cancellous bone in 21 girls with Turner's syndrome, 12 boys with hypogonadism, and 46 age-matched controls (24 boys, 22 girls) were studied. The subjects were divided into the following subgroups by the age (year) at the time of the measurement: A. 4-6.9; B. 7-9.9; C. 10-12.9.


RESULTS
QCT values for Turner's syndrome vs control girls in the same age groups (A, B, and C) were (mean +/- SD) 226 +/- 36 vs 216 +/- 31 (NS), 193 +/- 29 vs 220 +/- 33 (NS), and 177 +/- 32 vs 217 +/- 17 (p < 0.01) mg/cm3, respectively. Those for boys with hypogonadism vs control boys (A, B, and C) were 236 +/- 15 vs 240 +/- 12 (NS), 187 +/- 21 vs 225 +/- 28 (p < 0.05), and 172 +/- 11 vs 216 +/- 26 (p < 0.0001) mg/cm, respectively. The cross-sectional data for Turner's syndrome and boys with hypogonadism had significant negative correlation with chronological age (r = 0.59; p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
These results showed that vertebral cancellous bone density in children with hypogonadism began to decrease during the peripubertal period in contrast to the constant values in controls, suggesting that a small amount of gonadal steroid in healthy children has an important role in maintaining normal bone density.
Nanao
K
K
Endocrinology, Metabolism and Genetics Unit, Tokyo Metropolitan Kiyose Children's Hospital, Japan.
Tsuchiya
Y
Y
Kotoh
S
S
Hasegawa
Y
Y
D015519:Bone Density; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000378:metabolism; D013131:Spine / Q000378:metabolism*; D014424:Turner Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*