PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Christian Mølgaard
AU  - Birthe Lykke Thomsen
AU  - Ann Prentice
AU  - Tim J Cole
AU  - Kim Fleischer Michaelsen
TI  - Whole body bone mineral content in healthy children and adolescents
AID  - 10.1136/adc.76.1.9
DP  - 1997 Jan 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 9--15
VI  - 76
IP  - 1
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/76/1/9.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/76/1/9.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child1997 Jan 01; 76
AB  - Data from healthy children are needed to evaluate bone mineralisation during childhood. Whole body bone mineral content (BMC) and bone area were examined by dual energy x ray absorptiometry (Hologic 1000/W) in healthy girls (n=201) and boys (n=142) aged 5–19 years. Centile curves for bone area for age, BMC for age, bone area for height, and BMC for bone area were constructed using the LMS method. Bone mineral density calculated as BMC/bone area is not useful in children as it is significantly influenced by bone size. Instead, it is proposed that bone mineralisation is assessed in three steps: height for age, bone area for height, and BMC for bone area. These three steps correspond to three different causes of reduced bone mass: short bones, narrow bones, and light bones.