Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Rodbro.
The total body calcium - estimated from the bone mineral content in the distal part of the forearm, measured by means of photon absorptiometry - has been determined in 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. None of the patients were treated with steroids and all were relatively mobile. The results indicate that osteoporosis is uncommon in such patients.
Bone mineral content (BMC) ub tge forearms (related to total body calcium) was measured for a controlled therapeutic trial in 25 epileptic children on long-term treatment with phenytoin and in 22 normal children before and during treatment with vitamin D or placebo. In the epileptic children, hypocalcaemia and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase was found in 20% and 16%, respectively. The group of epileptic children treated with vitamin D2 (2000 IU daily) for 3 months showed a significant increase in bone mineral content, 5% on average. The epileptic children treated with placebo showed a significant decrease, 2% on average, while the normal children treated with vitamin D or placebo showed no change in bone mineral content. The results indicate a possible benefit of prophylactic vitamin D treatment in epileptic children.