Pay attention since this time, osteoporosis in children can happen

Many consider osteoporosis only to be experienced when one is old enough. In fact, osteoporosis in children can also happen.

This condition needs to be noticed because children are not necessarily able to explain the complaints they feel, especially when there are fractures. So parents need to understand the risk factor and recognize the fractures in order to get the child checked on time.

The message is in line with the theme of the World's Osteoporosis Day which fell on October 20, 2026, "Build, Protect, Strengthen Your Bones for Life."

To quote the page of World Osteoporosis Day, this year's theme emphasizes the importance of building, protecting, and strengthening bones throughout life, starting since childhood.

As the Children's Consultant Endocrinology Doctor Carina Sukur Arto, on the page of the Indonesian Osteoporosis, the child is called osteoporosis if there is a clinical significant fractures history with the value of bone mineral density with skorosi-z less or equal to -2.

The history of the fracture is two or more broken bones before the age of 10, or three or more fractures at the age of 10 to 19.

In addition to that, there are one or more spinal compression fractures that occur without severe trauma or no local illness, which also includes a history of fractures, even though the score of score- z is still within normal limits.

Osteoporosis in its own child is divided into primary and secondary. Primary oporosis is related to genetic abnormalities, such as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, etc.

Moreover, there's osteoporosis of idiopathic juvenil marked by bone pain, deformity, fractures, and low density of indiscriminate bone minerals.

As for secondary osteoporosis, it's caused by chronic disease or therapies that affect the formation, resonation, or mineralization of bone. To quote the Royal Osteoporosis Society, here are some conditions that contribute to osteoporosis in children:

For the record, not all children in such condition are osteoporosis. However, a history of disease, medicine, and fractures need to be discussed with doctors to assess risk and determine the need for examination.

Knowing broken bones isn't always easy, especially to a child who hasn't been able to explain pain. Here are the signs that need to be noticed:

To quote the Heathy Children page, fractures usually feel pain and swell.

The child may be reluctant to move an injured limb. However, if a child is able to move his body parts, not automatically remove the possibility of the fracture.

The pain centered on one location is a pattern of fractures. Do not repeatedly press that part to ensure injury. Call the doctor immediately if you suspect a fracture.

Bluish bruising or purplish can arise due to aneurysm surrounding injuries. Even so, bruises alone are not enough to ensure a fracture.

Arms or limbs that seem crooked, shorter, or forming an unnatural angle requires immediate assistance. If the bone penetrates the skin, take the child to the emergency installation and don't try to straighten it out yourself.

A crack or an explosion with severe, swollen pain, or a change in the shape of a limb could indicate a fracture. However, not all fractures cause a sound, and the joint sounds don't always mean broken bones.

In the moment of the World's Osteoporosis Day, parents can support bone health through calcium-nutritious food and proteins, physical activity, as well as healthy life habits.

A child with osteoporosis or a history of fractures requires a doctor's direction regarding safe activity and handling. Recognize the identity of a fracture early on, but remember that diagnosis still requires medical examination.