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Research Article|Articles in Press

The effect of the rate of increase of estrogen replacement therapy on bone mineral density accrual in young patients with Turner syndrome.

Published:March 17, 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2023.03.007

      STRUCTURED ABSTRACT

      BACKGROUND

      Turner syndrome (TS) is caused by partial/complete X-chromosome monosomy with variable phenotypes, characterized by hypogonadism and short stature. To achieve pubertal changes, up to 50-79% of patients with TS require estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and 80% have low bone mineral density (BMD). Studies show that pubertal delays are associated with decreased BMD. Currently, guidelines suggest ERT start at 12 years, increasing slowly, simulating pubertal progression. Many studies show that ERT increases BMD in TS adolescents, but uncertainty remains as to how the rate of increase in ERT affects BMD.

      METHODS

      IRB approval was obtained from our institution for this retrospective chart review from 1991-2020. Charts were requested for the database using ICD 9-10 codes for TS and patients undergoing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Biometric data, medical and treatment histories were extracted from charts. Multilevel random effects models were constructed to assess the time dependent associations between ERT and bone density parameters. The primary independent variable of interest was the rate at which patients went from initiating ERT to reaching final doses. The primary dependent variables measured were total body BMD (tbBMD) and corresponding z-scores, calculated using DEXA techniques. Analyses were done with SAS software (version 9.4, Cary, NC).

      RESULTS

      28 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age of TS diagnosis was 6.9 years; 8 patients had monosomy X, 16 had mosaic karyotypes, 4 had unknown karyotypes. The average age for starting HRT was 14.1 years. 13 patients had spontaneous pubertal onset before starting HRT. tbBMD increased significantly with age (p = 0.03). However, change in BMD by age does not vary between patients who reached final adult doses of ERT within 0-2.5 years, compared to patients who took 2.5-5.5 years (p=0.7). Patients who took 2.5-5.5 years to reach final adult doses of ERT had a more negative trend in z-scores (-2.144) in comparison to patients who took 0-2.5 years (-1.776), although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=.15). Future larger studies are needed to better understand the relationship between duration of ERT use and tbBMD.

      CONCLUSIONS

      BMD in TS adolescents increases with age. Neither absolute tbBMD values nor tbBMD z-scores increased faster when ERT doses were maximized within 2.5 years. This study has identified a cohort of children under 12 years with TS who have not had any ERT or BMD measurements - a potential population for future larger prospective studies.

      KEYWORDS

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