Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density is associated with previous fracture during childhood and adolescence in males: the GOOD study.

Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been associated with fracture risk in children and adolescents, but it remains unclear whether this association is due to volumetric BMD (vBMD) of the cortical and/or trabecular bone compartments or bone size. The aim of this study was to determine whether vBMD or bone size was associated with X-ray-verified fractures in men during growth. In total, 1068 men (aged 18.9 +/- 0.6 years) were included in the population-based Gothenburg Osteoporosis and Obesity Determinants (GOOD) Study. Areal BMD was measured by DXA, whereas cortical and trabecular vBMD and bone size were measured by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT). X-ray records were searched for fractures. Self-reported fractures in 77 men could not be confirmed in these records. These men were excluded, resulting in 991 included men, of which 304 men had an X-ray-verified fracture and 687 were nonfracture subjects. Growth charts were used to establish the age of peak height velocity (PHV, n = 600). Men with prevalent fractures had lower aBMD (lumbar spine 2.3%, p = .005; total femur 2.6%, p = .004, radius 2.1%, p < .001) at all measured sites than men without fracture. Using pQCT measurements, we found that men with a prevalent fracture had markedly lower trabecular vBMD (radius 6.6%, p = 7.5 x 10(-8); tibia 4.5%, p = 1.7 x 10(-7)) as well as a slightly lower cortical vBMD (radius 0.4%, p = .0012; tibia 0.3%, p = .015) but not reduced cortical cross-sectional area than men without fracture. Every SD decrease in trabecular vBMD of the radius and tibia was associated with 1.46 [radius 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-1.69; tibia 95% CI 1.26-1.68] times increased fracture prevalence. The peak fracture incidence coincided with the timing of PHV (+/-1 year). In conclusion, trabecular vBMD but not aBMD was independently associated with prevalent X-ray-verified fractures in young men. Further studies are needed to determine if assessment of trabecular vBMD could enhance prediction of fractures during growth in males.