Pediatric densitometry: is the Z score adjustment necessary in all cases?


Por: Magallares, B, Malouf, J, Codes-Méndez, H, Park, HS, Betancourt, J, Fraga, G, Quesada-Masachs, E, López-Corbeto, M, Torrent, M, Marin, A, Herrera, S, Gich, I, Boronat, S, Casademont, J, Corominas, H, Cerdá, D

Publicada: 9 abr 2025
Resumen:
Background The International Society for Clinical Densitometry recommends adjusting the bone mineral density (BMD) Z-score in children with short stature or growth delay. However, it is not clear whether height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) adjustment is required in all children. The aim of this study was to determine whether HAZ adjustment is necessary by examining variability in unadjusted and adjusted Z-scores for the main regions of interest in a large pediatric cohort.Methods We evaluated 103 patients <= 20 years of age who underwent lumbar spine and whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at our tertiary care hospital from 2016 to 2018. The formula proposed by Zemel was used to calculate the HAZ.Results A total of 103 participants were included (54 females; 52.4%). The mean age was 9.8 years. Height percentiles were <= 3 or >= 97 in seven (6.8%) and five (4.9%) patients. Diagnostic criteria for low bone mineral density (LBMD; BMD Z-score <= -2) were met in 8 lumbar spine scans and 10 whole-body scans. After HAZ adjustment, the prevalence of LBMD decreased from 8.2% (n=8) to 6.4% (n=6) in the lumbar spine scans and from 10.5% (n=10) to 7.2% (n=8) in the whole-body scans. Agreement between the adjusted and non-adjusted HAZ data was 0.498 for the lumbar spine and 0.557 for the whole body. The diagnostic discrepancy rate for LBMD diagnosis was 7%. After HAZ adjustment, 5% patients no longer met LBMD criteria while conversely 2% met LBMD criteria only after adjustment.Conclusions The high diagnostic discrepancy rate (7%) for LBMN in this unselected pediatric cohort underscores the value of performing HAZ adjustment of Z-scores to improve diagnostic accuracy. This divergence between adjusted and unadjusted Z-scores suggests that all pediatric patients, not only those with short stature or growth retardation, may benefit from densitometric size adjustment. This is especially true in individuals whose stature is at the upper end of the range, where size may obscure a diagnosis of LBMD.

Filiaciones:
Magallares, B:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Dexeus Grp Quiron Salud Hosp, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Autonoma Barcelona UAB, Med Fac, Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain

Malouf, J:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Mineral Metab Unit Internal Med, Barcelona, Spain

Codes-Méndez, H:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

Park, HS:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Autonoma Barcelona UAB, Med Fac, Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain

Betancourt, J:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Pediat, Barcelona, Spain

Fraga, G:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Pediat, Barcelona, Spain

Quesada-Masachs, E:
 Univ Dexeus Grp Quiron Salud Hosp, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Vall dHebron Barcelona Hosp, Dept Pediat Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

López-Corbeto, M:
 Vall dHebron Barcelona Hosp, Dept Pediat Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

Torrent, M:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Pediat, Barcelona, Spain

Marin, A:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Mineral Metab Unit Internal Med, Barcelona, Spain

Herrera, S:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Mineral Metab Unit Internal Med, Barcelona, Spain

Gich, I:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Ctr Invest Biomed Red Enfermedades Raras CIBERER, Madrid, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Clin Epidemiol & Publ Hlth, Barcelona, Spain

Boronat, S:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Pediat, Barcelona, Spain

Casademont, J:
 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Autonoma Barcelona UAB, Med Fac, Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain

 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Internal Med, Barcelona, Spain

Corominas, H:
 Hosp Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain

 Inst Recerca Sant Pau IR SANT PAU, St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Autonoma Barcelona UAB, Med Fac, Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain

Cerdá, D:
 Hosp Sant Joan Despi Moises Broggi, Dept Rheumatol, Barcelona, Spain
ISSN: 16642392





Frontiers in Endocrinology
Editorial
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, AVENUE DU TRIBUNAL FEDERAL 34, LAUSANNE, CH-1015, SWITZERLAND, Suiza
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 16 Número:
Páginas:
WOS Id: 001472022100001
ID de PubMed: 40270717
imagen Green Submitted, gold

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