Areal bone mineral density in pediatric patients with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C

Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) is a known complication of chronic liver disease in adults. Data on bone mass, an important factor for the development of osteoporosis in adult life, in young patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections are scarce. We measured BMD at the lumbar spine and whole skeleton by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 11 HBV- and 21 HCV-vertically infected untreated youths (3.9-21.1 years). BMD measurements were compared to those of 202 healthy subjects (3.0-21.9 years). The median BMD Z-score of the lumbar spine of HBV-infected patients was -0.3, ranging from -1.6 to 0.6, while the median whole skeleton BMD Z-score was 0.1 (-0.8 to 0.6). HBV-infected patients showed a median Z-score of the lumbar spine of 0.6 (-1.6 to 1.9), and a median whole skeleton BMD Z-score of 0.6, ranging from -1.5 to 1.4. Multivariate analyses have been performed to correct for differences in sex, age, and anthropometric measurements. Lumbar spine BMD values of HBV and HCV-infected patients were not significantly different from those of controls. Similarly, no differences were found between groups in total body BMD measurements. Our data suggest that, unlikely adult patients, untreated young patients with chronic HBV and HCV infection may not have impaired bone mass measurements.