Vertebra and femur neck bone mineral density values in healthy Turkish children.

The bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 102 healthy Turkish children, aged 3-15, and values were correlated with age, height, weight and pubertal status. BMD increased with age in children of both sexes. The increase was steeper at the time of puberty. There were no significant differences between boys and girls until the age of 10. After the age of 10, lumbar BMD was higher in girls than in boys, probably because of the earlier onset of puberty in females. BMD was also highly correlated with height and weight. Because of low irradiation exposure, rapid scanning and high precision, DEXA is a non-invasive method, which is well adapted to children with diseases impairing bone metabolism.