Evaluation of Bone Mineral Content in Children with Chronic Hepatitis B: A 12-Year Retrospective Study

Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) is an HBV infection that lasts for more than six months, leading to persistent liver inflammation.This study explored the association between CHB and bone mineral density (BMD).This retrospective study analyzed data from 77 CHB patients applied to the Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Unit o ver a 12year period.Patient data, including demographics, biochemical markers, liver biopsy findings, and dual -energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) Z-scores, underwent comprehensive statistical analysis.The participants' mean age was 9.76 3.87 years, ranging from 3 to 20, with 63.6% of the cohort being male.Histological activity index (HAI) assessments revealed that 32.4% of patients exhibited minimal activity, 50% had mild activity, and 17.6% showed moderate activity; no severe cases were recorded.Fibrosis scores ranged as follows: 18.2% of patients scored 0, 63.6% scored 1, 9.1% scored 2, 5.2% scored 3, and 3.9% scored 4. Low BMD, defined as a DXA Z-score -2, was detected in 16 patients (20.7%), with no fractures reported.Although female patients had lower DXA Z-scores than males, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.0531).Moreover, no gender-related differences were observed in low BMD prevalence.HAI and fibrosis scores did not significantly differ between patients with normal and low BMD.However, a positive correlation was observed between HAI and fibrosis scores (r = 0.231, p = 0.044).Expanding DXA screenings in larger CHB patient populations may facilitate the development of more precise guidelines and improve early detection strategies.