Comparison of bone mass and quality determinants in adolescents and young adults with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)

Background Few prospective data have been published on the comparison of bone density and quality in homogeneous groups of patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Objective and hypothesis The objective of this study is to perform a longitudinal evaluation of the prevalence and the characteristics of bone mass and quality and to evaluate the differences on the bone parameters, using DXA, pQCT and QUS. Population and/or methods Forty-three JSLE patients (35 females, 8 males, median age 18.8, range 14.0–34.1 years) have been studied with DXA, pQCT and QUS scans and compared with 138 JIA patients (112 females, 26 males, median age 18.9, range 13.4–33.2 years), and 79 controls (59 females, 20 males; median age 19.3, range 13.5–36.5 years). Of these, 39 patients (32 females and 7 males, median age 20.3, range 16.6–36.8 years) with JSLE were followed longitudinally and compared with 131 patients (108 females, 23 males median age 20.7, range 15.8–37.1 years) with JIA and 63 controls (48 females, 15 males; median age 21.9, range 15.5–38.3 years). Results JSLE patients have a higher bone cortical density (CrtBMD) than controls and JIA patients (p