Metabolic Bone Clinic

The Metabolic Bone Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers children and adolescents with low bone density access to comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and management of various skeletal disorders. Once considered a disease primarily affecting postmenopausal women, osteopenia/osteoporosis has become an increasingly health concern in pediatric medicine. Mineralization of bone is a dynamic process that occurs continually throughout childhood until peak bone mass is attained during late adolescence and early adulthood.

Because this process is affected by multiple factors, including nutrition, physicial activity, chronic illness, and medications, many children experience disturbances in normal bone growth and mineralization, which can have both immediate and long-term consequences on their overall health.

At Nationwide Children’s Bone Clinic, we strive to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and quality care as we work towards our goal of improving children’s bone health.

Conditions Treated

Primary Osteopenia/Osteoporosis, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)
Osteopenia/Osteoporosis secondary to chornic medical disorders including, but not limited to, the following:

• Malabsorption
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic renal disease
• Sustained glucocorticoid therapy
• Chemotherapy and radiation
• Cerebral palsy/Immobilization
• Rheumatologic disorders

Rickets

Comprehensive Services

• Laboratory evaluation to identify any nutritional, hormonal, or metabolic abnormalities
• Assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans
• Treatment with IV or oral bisphosphonates
• Comprehensive genetic counseling and evaluation available for congenital and familial causes of metabolic bone disease
• Potential for enrollment in research studies investigating the efficacy and safety of medications to treat low bone density in children and adolescents
• Dentistry consultations available for patients receiving bisphosphonate treatment
• Nutrition assessments performed as needed