Availability, ease of use, relative low cost, accuracy and reproducibility have made dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) the most widely used technique worldwide to obtain bone measurements for both research and clinical purposes in adult populations. However, errors related to growth and maturity greatly diminish the value of DXA bone measurements in pediatric populations. Several investigators have found that osteoporosis in children is frequently misdiagnosed secondary to results from DXA scans. In this regard, the official position of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry states its recent recommendations that subjects <20 years of age should not be diagnosed with osteoporosis based on DXA criteria. Nevertheless, the increased awareness that osteoporosis has its antecedents in childhood and the demand for examinations of bone acquisition and response to therapy in pediatric patient populations stress the urgent need to optimize DXA measurements for children.
The specific aims of this proposal are to improve the accuracy of DXA measurements by assessing and correcting for the influence of bone shape, bone size, and fat and muscle volume and distribution on DXA measurements in the axial skeleton of children and young adults. Vertebral bone density will be determined by computed tomography (CT), and the volumes of the lumbar vertebral bodies, abdominal fat and paraspinous and abdominal musculature in children and adults will be assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on the data collected from MRI and CT, we will be able to develop and validate sex- and age-specific formulas that will correct for the influence that bone size and body composition has on DXA measurements. The incorporation of these correction factors into current and future DXA equipment will greatly improve the accuracy of their bone measurements. In addition, the relationships between outcomes from bone age and physical examinations (Tanner stage, height, sitting height, weight, BMI, abdominal diameter, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip ratio and skin fold measurements) and DXA values will be examined in an attempt to establish which clinical parameter(s) can be used in the optimization of DXA bone measurements.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR052744-05
Application #
7670275
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-MOSS-A (05))
Program Officer
Lester, Gayle E
Project Start
2005-09-05
Project End
2010-08-31
Budget Start
2009-09-01
Budget End
2010-08-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$211,388
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Department
Type
DUNS #
052277936
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90027
Gilsanz, Vicente; Wren, Tishya A L; Ponrartana, Skorn et al. (2018) Sexual Dimorphism and the Origins of Human Spinal Health. Endocr Rev 39:221-239
Chung, Sandra A; Dorey, Frederick; Mittelman, Steven et al. (2011) Effect of gender on intra-abdominal fat in teenagers and young adults. Pediatr Radiol 41:469-75
Gilsanz, Vicente; Chung, Sandra A; Kaplowitz, Neil (2011) Differential effect of gender on hepatic fat. Pediatr Radiol 41:1146-53
Gilsanz, Vicente; Kremer, Arye; Mo, Ashley O et al. (2010) Vitamin D status and its relation to muscle mass and muscle fat in young women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 95:1595-601
Di Iorgi, Natascia; Mo, Ashley O; Grimm, Kate et al. (2010) Bone acquisition in healthy young females is reciprocally related to marrow adiposity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 95:2977-82
Lee, David C; Campbell, Patricia P; Gilsanz, Vicente et al. (2009) Contribution of the vertebral posterior elements in anterior-posterior DXA spine scans in young subjects. J Bone Miner Res 24:1398-403
Gilsanz, Vicente; Chalfant, James; Mo, Ashley O et al. (2009) Reciprocal relations of subcutaneous and visceral fat to bone structure and strength. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:3387-93
Gilsanz, Vicente; Perez, Francisco J; Campbell, Patricia P et al. (2009) Quantitative CT reference values for vertebral trabecular bone density in children and young adults. Radiology 250:222-7
Kremer, Richard; Campbell, Patricia P; Reinhardt, Timothy et al. (2009) Vitamin D status and its relationship to body fat, final height, and peak bone mass in young women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:67-73
Di Iorgi, N; Mittelman, S D; Gilsanz, V (2008) Differential effect of marrow adiposity and visceral and subcutaneous fat on cardiovascular risk in young, healthy adults. Int J Obes (Lond) :

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