Can bone density testing reveal calcium deficiency?

Many people are particularly concerned about their children's bone density. When they see low bone density during examination, they get worried and wonder if there is something wrong, or they may first think it is due to calcium deficiency. But can bone density measurement detect calcium deficiency? This question is not absolute. Perhaps the low bone density is because children grow faster at this stage. Moreover, sometimes the level will be lower this month and become normal next month.

Bone density represents the state of calcium deposition in bones. On the surface, low bone density means insufficient calcium deposition in the bones, but as can be seen from the figure below, the same bone density test results have different meanings for people of different ages.

With a simple example, parents can easily understand why they don’t have to worry about their children’s low bone density - when building a building, you first build a frame and then lay bricks layer by layer. The higher the frame is, the larger the space is, and the more bricks can be laid.

The same principle applies to calcium in the bones. Only when the bone density is low can there be space for calcium to enter. When the bones are filled with calcium, the bones stretch again. At this time, the bone density becomes a little low again, and calcium can enter again. As the bones continue to stretch, calcium can continue to flow in. If the bones no longer stretch and there is no space for calcium to enter, although the bone density test shows that the child is no longer calcium deficient, it also means that the child's bones are no longer growing.

Therefore, low bone density means that the child has grown rapidly recently. In this sense, low bone density is usually a sign of rapid growth in children, rather than a sign of calcium deficiency.

Many parents will ask: Why does my child have low bone density this month but normal next month? Because children's growth is not uniform, low bone density should never be used as a criterion for judging calcium deficiency.

Bone density testing is not a routine examination item

When judging whether a child's growth and development is normal, only doing bone age and bone density tests cannot explain the problem. Under normal circumstances, it is not recommended that parents take their children for bone age and bone density tests. In addition, for children, whether testing hair or drawing blood to check for trace elements has no practical medical value.

Respect your child’s developmental characteristics

Children's growth and development does not proceed in a diagonal line, but in a step-by-step manner. Therefore, do not use the results of bone age and bone density tests to assess the growth and development of infants and young children.