
This study examined the long-term bone health of young adults born extremely preterm (EP; <28 weeks’ gestation) or extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g birth weight) in the post-surfactant era (since the early 1990s). Using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT)-based finite element modeling (pQCT-FEM), researchers assessed the bone structure and estimated bone strength. The study included 161 EP/ELBW survivors and 122 term-born controls from Victoria, Australia, born in 1991-92. At age 25, pQCT scans were performed at 4% and 66% of tibia and radius length. The EP/ELBW group exhibited lower unadjusted tibial pQCT-FEM parameters. Height- and weight-adjusted torsional stiffness at 66% tibia remained lower in EP/ELBW. Group differences in torsional and bending stiffness at 66% tibia were more pronounced in males. There were no significant group differences in adjusted radial models. Lower adjusted pQCT-FEM measures in EP/ELBW suggest an increased long-term fracture risk, especially in males.
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