Differential age-related change in bone mineral density and total body lean mass between adults with and without down syndrome

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is a condition associated with accelerated ageing but data on the pattern of age-related change in bone and lean mass are scarce. Method: We performed quadratic regression analysis to compare the change in whole body bone mineral density (BMD) and total body lean mass (TBLM) with age between adults with and without DS. Results: Whole body BMD (g/cm2) increased 0.008 in healthy adults aged 20-29 years but the amount decreased by 0.004 between 30-39 years and 0.026 between 40-50 years. Whole body BMD of DS adults showed more increase at younger age (20-29 y, 0.018) and sharper decline at older age (30-39 y, -0.028; 40-50 y, -0.085). TBLM was not associated with age among healthy adults but inversely related to age among DS adults. Implications: The observed early loss of BMD and TLBM delineated the extent of premature ageing in DS.