Endocrine Abstracts

Serum Crosslaps is a bone resorption specific marker already validated in adults for osteoporosis helping in decision and therapeutic. Not yet clinically evaluated in children, we wanted to analyse the usefulness of this marker in paediatric practice, easier to collect than the other bone resorption markers which need urinary collection often uncertain in children.

Patients and methods: Serum Crosslaps were measured using the One Step ELISA immunoassay (Osteometer) in a population basis of 175 healthy children. The data were compared with results obtained in subgroups of children affected by bone metabolism diseases: osteogenesis imperfecta, mucoviscidosis, hypoparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, corticotherapy, neuro-muscular pathology, precocious puberty, anorexia nervosa.

Results: The paediatric reference data obtained in the population basis showed an important dispersion and significant variations with age and growth: no significant change occurred in either sex until ten years, then there was progressive increase during puberty, peaking at 14–17 years in boys, earlier at 10–14 years in girls, before decreasing again until adults data. There was no significant difference between the results of population basis and subgroups of illness children. However, in cases of children with osteogenesis imperfecta, a decrease of serum crosslaps was observed with bisphosphonate treatment.

Conclusion: Interindividual important changes and variations with age and growth make difficult the use of serum crosslaps in pediatric practice. It could be interesting in individual follow-up of pathology or treatment influencing on bone metabolism, as bisphosphonate treatment in osteogenesis imperfecta. It would be evaluated by carrying on the study on larger samples.