Effects of hormone replacement therapy on bone mineral density in Turner syndrome patients in Korea

Background: Turner syndrome (TS) is a common chromosomal abnormality, which is caused by the loss of all or part of one X chromosome. This clinical syndrome is characterized by short stature and sexual infantilism, and accompanied by systemic disorders in major organs with higher incidence of osteoporosis. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) based on the use of growth hormone and sex hormone in TS is important in terms of puberty, growth and prevention of osteoporosis. However, hormone regimen studies are rare, and to date, no such study has been conducted in Korea. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to determine the relationship between the starting age of HRT, duration of HRT, and bone mineral density (BMD) in TS; and to develop a HRT protocol suitable for the Korean population.