OSTEOPOROSIS IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Congenital and acquired forms of osteoporosis in child hood and adolescence can result in morbidity from fracture and pain in childhood, and place an individual at significant risk for problems in adult life. A range of therapies exist for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, including optimization of daily calcium intake, adequate vitamin D status, weight-bearing exercise, treatment with sex steroids where delayed puberty is a problem and, more recently, use of bisphosphonate therapy (a bisphosphonate) has been shown to reduce fractures and improve bone density in children with osteogenesis imperfecta, and might prove to be of benefit in other osteoporotic conditions in childhood.