Proposals for prevention and management of steroid-induced osteoporosis in children and adolescents

The adverse effects of glucocorticoids on bone health are well recognized. In adults, evidence-based guidelines exist to base management of patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is also recognized in children and adolescents with chronic disease requiring steroid treatment. Additional complexities in the assessment and management of growing children mean that evidence-based guidelines for this complex patient group have not been produced. Factors, which need to be taken into account, include defining osteoporosis in childhood and addressing the effects of chronic disease and glucocorticoid treatment on a number of parameters including the skeleton, growth, puberty, nutrition and vitamin D status. In the absence of randomized controlled trials to guide clinical practice, we provide proposals for the prevention and management of steroid-induced osteoporosis, drawing on the available evidence and our clinical experience of managing children and adolescents with steroid-induced osteoporosis.