Childhood fractures may have repercussions on children's bone health, a latest study states.
Mayo Clinic researchers found that children and adolescents who suffer forearm fractures due to mild trauma have lower bone strength compared to other children.
Less bone strength makes children prone to fractures resulting from weakened bone (osteoporotic fracture) later in life, the study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research stated.
"Our study highlights the need for clinicians to consider the level of trauma preceding the injury, when treating children and adolescents with fracture," lead author Joshua Farr, a research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester in Monroe County, New York, said in a press release.
"We can't say with certainty that these skeletal deficits will track into adulthood. But we think intervention in terms of diet and physical activity might be used to optimise bone strength," said Farr.
For the study, the researchers compared bone strength in children aged between 8 and 15 with forearm fractures due to mild trauma that occurs after falling from a standing height, with moderate trauma, which is defined as a fall from a low height, such as from a bicycle and there was a control group. In all the study included 115 children with fractures and 108 in the control group.
The participants underwent a sophisticated version of CT known as high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) to assess bone strength and quality, researchers wrote in the study.
The results revealed that those with mild trauma had weaker bones. Prior to the fracture, the bones of the kids were able to tolerate less stress, the researchers said.
