Mineral metabolism and calcitriol therapy in idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis
G. Saggese, S. Bertelloni, G. I. Baroncelli, G. Perri and A. Calderazzi
Department of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, Italy.
Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis is a rare cause of osteoporosis during
childhood. We examined four children (three boys and one girl, ranging in
age from 2.3 to 12.6 years) with idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis. All of
these patients had normal serum calcium, ionized calcium, phosphate,
magnesium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, intact parathyroid hormone, and total and
extractable calcitonin levels. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D values were low in
three patients and slightly decreased in one. Three children were treated
with calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) (0.50 micrograms/d in two
and 0.25 microgram/d in the other). The fourth patient was not treated
because of parental refusal. Therapy reduced the fracture rate. Follow-up
at 6 and 12 months showed a significant increase in bone mineralization,
which reached normal values in two children after 12 months of treatment.
No side effects of calcitriol therapy were observed. The untreated patient
did not show an improvement of bone mineralization in the same time.
