Relationship between bone mineral content and bone turnover markers, sex hormones and calciotropic hormones in pre- and early pubertal children

• Published in: Osteoporosis international 2020-02, Vol.31 (2), p.335-349
• Main Authors: Zürcher, S. J., Borter, N., Kränzlin, M., Neyer, P., Meyer, U., Rizzoli, R., Kriemler, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Bone Density; Bone mineral content; Bone Remodeling; Bone turnover; Child; Children; Cortisol; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Endocrinology; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones - physiology; Hormones; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Orthopedics; Puberty; Rheumatology; Sex hormones; Vitamin D
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-019-05180-7

Summary We investigated associations between bone mineral content (BMC) and bone-related biomarkers (BM) in pre-and early pubertal children of both sexes. In this population, we found that bone turnover markers explain a small part of BMC variance. Introduction It is still debated whether BM including bone turnover markers (BTM), sex hormones and calciotropic (including cortisol) hormones provide information on BMC changes during growth. Methods Three hundred fifty-seven girls and boys aged 6 to 13 years were included in this study. BM was measured at baseline and BMC twice at 9 months and 4 years using DXA. Relationship between BMs was assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). BM was tested in its ability to explain BMC variation by using structural equation modelling (SEM) on cross-sectional data. Longitudinal data were used to further assess the association between BM and BMC variables. Results BMC and all BMs, except calciotropic hormones, increased with age. PCA in BM revealed a three-factor solution (BTM, sex hormones and calciotropic hormones). In the SEM, age accounted for 61% and BTM for 1.2% of variance in BMC (cross-sectional). Neither sex nor calciotropic hormones were BMC explanatory variables. In the longitudinal models (with single BM as explanatory variables), BMC, age and sex at baseline accounted for 79–81% and 70–75% in BMC variance at 9 months and 4 years later, respectively. P1NP was consistently associated with BMC. Conclusion BMC strongly tracks in pre- and early pubertal children. In this study, only a small part of BMC variance was explained by single BTM at the beginning of pubertal growth.