Background: In Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), metabolic bone disease is a common complication. Osteopenia is frequently reported in adult CRF patients, and after transplantation. However, reports on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism in children are rather sparse.
Objective: The aim of this work was to study BMD in a group of children with end-stage renal failure, and to relate their BMD to some markers of bone metabolism.
Methods: Measurements of serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phos-phatase (AP), calcitonin (CT) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were performed in 25 children aged 9.85±3.44 years with end-stage renal failure (11 males and 14 females), and in 15 age
and sex matched controls. Measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) was performed for patients and controls using quantitative computed tomography.
Results: Our results showed that serum calcium was significantly lower, while serum levels of phosphorus and AP were significantly higher compared with controls. Plasma CT levels were significantly higher in CRF patients in comparison to controls (29.7±7.3 vs 13.8±4.1pg/ml, p < 0.01). PTH levels were significantly higher in CRF patients compared with controls {413.7+113.4 vs 12.1+6.1, p < 0.0001). BMD was slightly lower in CRF patients compared with controls (141.2±26.5 vs 150.3±33.5 gm/cm3), but the difference was not statistically significant. These parameters did not differ significantly between patients undergoing hemodialysis and those