Poorer bone health seen in black children with fractures

(HealthDay)—African-American children with forearm fractures are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and lower bone mineral density than their peers without fractures, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in Pediatrics.

Leticia Manning Ryan, M.D., M.P.H., from Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues examined bone mineral density and prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in 76 5- to 9-year-old African-American children with forearm fractures and 74 controls without fractures. The association between bone mineral density and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and fracture status was examined.

The researchers found that case and control patients had no significant differences with respect to age, gender, parental education level, enrollment season, outdoor play time, height, or mean dietary calcium nutrient density, but cases were significantly more likely than control patients to be overweight (49.3 versus 31.4 percent; P = 0.03). Case patients had significantly lower whole body z scores for bone mineral density (0.62 ± 0.96 versus 0.98 ± 1.09; adjusted odds ratio, 0.38) and were significantly more likely to be vitamin D deficient (47.1 versus 40.8 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 3.46), compared to the controls.

"Because suboptimal childhood bone health also negatively impacts adult bone health, interventions to increase bone mineral density and correct vitamin D deficiency are indicated in this population to provide short-term and long-term benefits," the authors conclude.