| Serum-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3 (1,25-[OH]2D3) was subnormal in
children receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment for various
glomerular diseases, including nephrotic syndrome. In children with
chronic glomerulonephritis not treated with glucocorticoids who had
similar serum-creatinine with glucocorticoids who had similar serum-
creatinine concentrations, serum-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3
concentrations resembled those in healthy controls, indicating that
glomerular renal disease per se does not account for reduced serum-
1,25(OH)2DE concentrations in steroid-treated patients. The reduction
in concentration of this most active vitamin-D metabolite correlated
with the dose of steroid administered and with reduction in forearm
bone mineral content measured by the photon absorption technique.
Reduced serum-1,25-(OH)2D3 concentration may be important in the
pathogenesis of steroid-induced osteopenia.
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