ArticleBone reports2021
Bone mass and vertebral fractures in South African children on prolonged oral glucocorticoids for chronic non-malignant illnesses.
Article in Bone reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 1 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the natural history of bone mineral density in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a systematic literature review.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025Pooled it
- Vertebral fractures and muscle function in glucocorticoid-treated individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a cohort study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionWe hypothesized that the prevalence of vertebral fractures would be low and that bone mineral density (BMD) would be less severely affected in a black South African (SA) population treated with glucocorticoids (GCs) than that reported in mainly white populations.
methodsAll children aged 5-17.9 years with chronic non-malignant illnesses who were on GCs (intravenous or oral) for greater than 3 months duration were evaluated. DXA scans were performed using a Hologic Discovery machine (Software version Apex 4.0.2) and the Hologic paediatric reference database. Whole body less head (WBLH) and lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) Z-scores unadjusted and adjusted for height were calculated using the Zemel equation calculator.
resultsSeventy-two patients (49% with renal, 24% with rheumatic, 14% with neurological, 11% with hepatic and 3% with respiratory conditions; mean age 11.6 ± 3.3 years, 57% boys, 92% SA black) were enrolled. The mean duration of GC treatment was 34.1 (±25.1) months. Mean WBLH and LS height adjusted BMD Z-scores were -1.2 ± 1.5 and -0.9 ± 1.0 respectively. Eleven percent of patients had a LS height adjusted BMD Z-score ≤ -2. The prevalence of vertebral fractures on lateral vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) was 15% (11 of 72 patients).
conclusionThe prevalence of vertebral fractures (15%) in predominantly black children on GCs with chronic non-malignant illnesses is similar to that reported from North America suggesting that routine yearly DXA scans including VFA are warranted in this highly at-risk population.
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