Endocrine development最新文献

Serious illness in children and its therapy can cause osteoporosis, manifesting as vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, pain, skeletal deformity and temporary or even permanent loss of ambulation. In contrast to adults, skeletal growth in children offers tremendous potential to recover bone mineral density and to reshape fractured vertebral bodies, even without bone-targeted therapy, provided that bone health threats are transient and residual growth is sufficient. Here, we outline the principles of bone strength development and the risk factors for osteoporosis due to various paediatric systemic illnesses. We also explain why the approach to the diagnosis and monitoring of childhood osteoporosis has moved away from a bone density-centric focus to a more functional assessment. Finally, we discuss the best candidates for and current approaches to the treatment of osteoporosis in children.

Phosphate metabolism is critical to multiple systems and cellular functions. Disruption of any point in the pathways of phosphate metabolism may cause serum phosphate abnormalities and resultant acute or chronic clinical conditions. The study of phosphate disorders has revealed a wealth of information regarding normal phosphate physiology. Careful evaluation of affected patients based on pathophysiologic assessments will usually identify the aetiology of hypophosphataemia or hyperphosphataemia, which is important to guide appropriate therapy. Because of the relative importance of chronic hypophosphataemia and hyperphosphataemia to bone disease, much of this chapter will focus on chronic disorders, especially those mediated by excess or deficient fibroblast growth factor 23 functioning.

Hypocalcaemia is one of the commonest disorders of mineral metabolism seen in children and may be a consequence of several different aetiologies. These include a lack of secretion or function of parathyroid hormone, disorders of vitamin D metabolism and abnormal function of the calcium-sensing receptor. A practical approach to the investigation, diagnosis and subsequent management of hypocalcaemic disorders is presented.

Constitutional disorders of bone, commonly termed skeletal dysplasias (SDs), are inherited disorders of cartilage and/or bone that affect their growth, morphometry and integrity. Associated skeletal abnormalities are usually but not invariably symmetrical. They may be classified as osteochondrodysplasias, which are conditions associated with abnormalities of the growth (dysplasias) or texture (osteodystrophy) of bone and/or cartilage, or dysostoses, which are conditions secondary to abnormal blastogenesis (occurring at or around the 6th week of in utero life). Skeletal involvement may also occur in other multisystem hereditary and acquired syndromes. The 2010 Nosology and Classification of Genetic Skeletal Disorders listed 456 conditions, of which approximately 50 are perinatally lethal, and 316 are associated with one or more of 226 genes. When an SD is suspected, a standard series of radiographs, collectively known as a skeletal survey, should be performed. The diagnosis of individual conditions is highly dependent on radiographic pattern recognition, which is achieved through a systematic review of the images and enhanced by discussion with colleagues and through the use of available tools, such as atlases and digital databases. This article summarises a systematic approach to the diagnosis of SDs, demonstrated using examples of some of the more common lethal and non-lethal conditions.

Calcium and bone disorders in children and adolescents are treated with a wide variety of drugs. Several of these drugs have been used for many years on the basis of accepted practice, without being subjected to rigorous trials. Bisphosphonates are the mainstay treatment for children with osteoporosis, but newer, more potent compounds such as zoledronate and risedronate have begun to replace the older-generation bisphosphonates. Hypocalcaemia is managed with calcium and vitamin D and its metabolites. In difficult cases that are secondary to hypoparathyroidism, subcutaneous injections or infusions of parathyroid hormone have been used. Multiple daily phosphate supplements and calcitriol are the standard treatment for hypophosphataemic rickets, but trials of an anti-fibroblast growth factor 23 antibody appear promising, and the results are eagerly awaited. Many new medications are undergoing clinical trials and are starting to emerge as viable treatment options for children. Some of these drugs target specific diseases, such as recombinant alkaline phosphatase for hypophosphatasia and a C-type natriuretic peptide analogue for achondroplasia. Other drugs, such as denosumab and odanacatib, have been used successfully in the adult population, and the appropriate use of these drugs in children is now being evaluated.

This section gives an overview of radiological findings in bony fragility states, with a special focus on osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and rickets. Conventional radiological assessment of bone density is inaccurate and imprecise and only reliably detects severe osteopaenia. However, other aspects of bone structure and morphology can be assessed, and it is possible to distinguish between osteopaenic and osteomalacic states. OI is a heterogeneous group of disorders of type 1 collagen formation and processing that are characterised by varying degrees of bony fragility, with presentations varying from perinatal lethality to asymptomatic. Radiological diagnosis of severe forms is usually straightforward, but that of milder disease may be challenging because specific features are often absent. However, a multidisciplinary approach is usually successful. Features of OI, including Wormian bones, skull base deformities, vertebral involvement and long bone fractures and deformities, are reviewed in this section. Rickets is best defined as a disorder of the growth plate characterised by the impaired apoptosis of hypertrophied chondrocytes. Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of rickets. The patho-anatomical basis of radiological findings in rickets is reviewed and illustrated. Rickets is frequently accompanied by hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia. Rickets used to be classified as calciopaenic or phosphopaenic but is now referred to as parathyroid hormone or fibroblast growth factor 23 mediated, respectively [1]. The radiological features of the two forms are reviewed.

The physiology of calcium and the other minerals involved in its metabolism is complex and intimately linked to the physiology of bone. Five principal humoral factors are involved in maintaining plasma concentrations of calcium, magnesium and phosphate and in coordinating the balance between their content in bone. The transmembrane transport of these elements is dependent on a series of complex mechanisms that are partly controlled by these hormones. The plasma concentration of calcium is initially sensed by a calcium-sensing receptor, which then sets up a cascade of events that initially determines parathyroid hormone secretion and eventually results in a specific action within the target organs, mainly bone and kidney. This chapter describes the physiology of these humoral factors and relates them to the pathological processes that give rise to disorders of calcium, phosphate and magnesium metabolism as well as of bone metabolism. This chapter also details the stages in the calcium cascade, describes the effects of calcium on the various target organs, gives details of the processes by which phosphate and magnesium are controlled and summarises the metabolism of vitamin D. The pathology of disorders of bone and calcium metabolism is described in detail in the relevant chapters.

Primary osteoporosis in childhood encompasses a range of bone fragility conditions that typically have a genetic origin. Understanding of the pathophysiology and genetics of primary osteoporosis has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. The clinical manifestations and consequences of the disease range from mild to severe, with the degree of growth retardation and bony deformity reflecting the severity and the underlying pathology. In children, primary osteoporosis is most commonly caused by one of the forms of osteogenesis imperfecta, which comprises a group of disorders characterised by abnormalities in type I collagen synthesis or processing. Diagnosis of any primary osteoporotic condition depends on the clinical history and examination but may be supported by other investigations, including various imaging techniques, histology and genetic analyses. Good management requires a multidisciplinary approach involving paediatricians, surgeons and allied health professionals, amongst others. Bisphosphonate therapy has revolutionised the approach to management and has positively modified outcomes for many children and their families. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are the keys to optimising independence in mobility and daily living. Surgery is required in many severe cases to straighten limbs or stabilise the spine. Bisphosphonates remain the mainstay of medical treatment, but there are a number of alternative therapeutic agents under investigation that may further improve management of primary osteoporosis in children over the coming years.