A retrospective multicenter study of bone mineral density in adolescents and adults with turner syndrome in Japan

Abstract

Osteoporosis is one of the clinical features of women with Turner syndrome (TS). The reasons for low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased bone fragility are multifactorial, including estrogen deficiency, X-chromosome abnormalities, and environmental factors. Few, large-scale studies on bone mineral density in either adolescents or adults with TS have been done in Japan. The goal of the present study was to investigate spinal BMD in women with TS, assess its relationship with clinical parameters, especially estrogen replacement therapy, and investigate its longitudinal changes. The spinal BMD and clinical data of 149 Japanese women with TS aged 15 to 49 years who were followed at the four participating hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. The BMD Z-scores of the women with TS ranged from -5.30 to +1.89. Women with TS aged 15-39 years had lower BMD than healthy Japanese women (p < 0.01) while women with spontaneous menstruation had a significantly higher BMD Z-score than those without spontaneous menstruation (-0.73 ± 1.11 vs. -1.67 ± 1.18, p < 0.01). In women without spontaneous menstruation, BMD Z-scores correlated with the duration of their estrogen therapy (r = 0.167, p < 0.01). Women aged 15-39 years with TS had low BMD, which was associated with primary amenorrhea and short estrogen replacement therapy duration.