Low Vertebral Cancellous Bone Density in Peripubertal Girls with Turner's Syndrome and Boys with Hypogonadism

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the changes of vertebral cancellous bone density in children with hypogonadism. STUDY DESIGN: Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) values of vertebral cancellous bone in 21 girls with Turner's syndrome, 12 boys with hypogonadism, and 46 age-matched controls (24 boys, 22 girls) were studied. The subjects were divided into the following subgroups by the age (year) at the time of the measurement: A. 4-6.9; B. 7-9.9; C. 10-12.9. RESULTS: QCT values for Turner's syndrome vs control girls in the same age groups (A, B, and C) were (mean +/- SD) 226 +/- 36 vs 216 +/- 31 (NS), 193 +/- 29 vs 220 +/- 33 (NS), and 177 +/- 32 vs 217 +/- 17 (p < 0.01) mg/cm3, respectively. Those for boys with hypogonadism vs control boys (A, B, and C) were 236 +/- 15 vs 240 +/- 12 (NS), 187 +/- 21 vs 225 +/- 28 (p < 0.05), and 172 +/- 11 vs 216 +/- 26 (p < 0.0001) mg/cm, respectively. The cross-sectional data for Turner's syndrome and boys with hypogonadism had significant negative correlation with chronological age (r = 0.59; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results showed that vertebral cancellous bone density in children with hypogonadism began to decrease during the peripubertal period in contrast to the constant values in controls, suggesting that a small amount of gonadal steroid in healthy children has an important role in maintaining normal bone density.