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Bone age is an indicator of a person's skeletal and biological maturity. This is clearly different from a person's age which is calculated using the date of birth.
Bone age is often asked by pediatricians and endocrinologists to make comparisons with a person's age to diagnose diseases related to the development and growth of a child's height. So how do you know the age of a person's bones? Check out the full explanation below.
What is bone age?
Bone age - bone age, also known as skeletal age, is a test to determine the maturity of a person's bones or bone age. By knowing the age of the bones, a measure of the maturity level of a person's skeleton will be known, namely how far the person has increased in the development of the skeleton.
Bone age is not necessarily the same age as a person. Bone age can be used to predict how long a person will grow and predict height as an adult. This difference between bone age and a person's actual age does not necessarily imply an indication of a problem.
If the bones are below the actual age of a person, the growth period for a person will be longer so that in the end the height as an adult can be normal. However, if the bone age is older than the actual age of a person, it is likely that a person's growth as an adult will be less than the average.
This bone age calculation is also used to estimate a person's age in a situation where birth certificates are not available so that their age cannot be determined. Missing birth data is a major problem in this part of the world. So that is why, checking the age of the bones is used to provide an estimate of a person's age so that it is more accurate.
How to calculate bone age?
Bone age is measured in years. Radiographs of the hand and wrist are the most commonly used ways of calculating bone age.
How to calculate bone age using radiographic techniques can be done by using an X-ray device in the area of the left wrist, hand, and fingers. A person's bones on the X-ray image are then compared with the X-ray images in a standard bone development atlas, which are based on data from a large number of bones of other people of the same sex and age.
Benefits of checking bone age
Bone age checks can be used to monitor bone growth and determine treatment. So this bone age can also help diagnose the underlying disease, such as:
- Diseases that affect the levels of hormones involved in growth, for example growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, precocious puberty and adrenal glands.
- Genetic growth disorders, such as Turner syndrome.
- Orthopedic or orthodontic problems, which are determined based on the time and type of treatment such as surgery, binding, and so on.
- In addition, bone examinations performed on children can also be used to predict how long the child will experience a growing period, when the child enters the puberty phase, and the estimated height of the child will be.
