Prevalence of abnormal bone density of pediatric patients prior to blood or marrow transplant

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are long-term side effects of bone marrow transplant (BMT). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bone mineral density (BMD) abnormalities in pediatric patients prior to BMT. Forty-four pediatric patients were evaluated with DEXA scans. The average Z-score was -0.37. Thirty-six percent had abnormal BMD. Sixty-seven percent of ALL patients had abnormal BMD. Patients with non-malignant diseases were significantly more likely to have abnormal BMD. Patients with ALL had more defects than solid tumor patients. Females had more defects than males. These results demonstrate BMD defects are common in children prior to BMT, especially in patients with ALL.