Characteristics of Bone System Condition in Children from Clean and Polluted Regions by Indexes of Ultrasound Densitometry

Introduction. In the opinion of scientists, the thyroid gland occupies the first place by the degree of sensitivity to the action of the negative influence of xenobiotics in a child's organism then – the liver, lungs, kidneys and bone system. Various organs and systems are responsible for anthropogenic environmental impact. In addition to the endocrine system, the kidneys, stomach and intestines, the bone system of a child often reacts. Loss of bone mass and bone fractures lead to a decrease in the quality of life of patients and negatively affect the course of other diseases. The introduction of modern methods of assessing the structural and functional status of bone tissue in medical practice and conducting mass surveys of children in this direction made it possible to specify the age characteristics of the formation of bone tissue and the time to reach the optimal peak mass of bone mass in boys and girls, to identify factors that affect the processes of bone formation, To specify the criteria of the diagnosis of osteoporosis and to form an objective notion about the prevalence of these diseases among the children and adolescents in Ukraine Aim To examine the state of the bone system in children from ecologically clean and contaminated regions according to the ultrasonic densitometry indices. Materials and methods. During 4 years we investigated bone mineral density (BMD) in 527 children with ecologically determined bone diseases during 4 years. 287 children from ecologically unfriendly region, polluted with radiation and/or chemicals and 234 children from ecologically clean area were examined. The age of children – from 3 to 18 years, sex – 48.2 % boys and 51.8 % – girls. All children were clinically observed, instrumental (ultrasound investigation, ultrasound densitometry) and laboratory diagnostics was done. Bone mineral density and bone system degree of changes were measured by ultrasound densitometry: if BMD < 67.0 % – osteoporosis, BMD from 80.0–67.0 % – osteopenia, 100.0 ± 20.0 % – normal BMD, 120.0 % and more – osteosclerosis. Results. The frequency of osteopenic syndrome (osteopenia and osteoporosis) was higher (55.6%) in the ecologically disadvantaged region, contaminated by products of oil refining. The frequency of osteoporosis in ecologically unfriendly regions was 10-15 times higher than the frequency of osteoporosis in the control group. Conclusions. The level of BMD in children with osteopenic syndrome is significantly influenced not only by well-known causes, but also by the level of anthropogenic (technogenic) pollution of the environment.