Abstract
Premature infants are among those at highest risk for hospital-acquired fracture. Screening and diagnosis of metabolic bone disease remains difficult because there is no screening test that is both sensitive and specific. Despite limitations, regular screening may identify infants at risk for osteopenia and/or fracture. Whenever possible, prevention, rather than treatment of metabolic bone disease should be the goal. Nutritional prevention and treatment should be aimed at supplementing minerals at levels attempting to mimic in utero rates. This article will discuss screening markers and nutritional therapies for prevention and treatment of metabolic bone disease in the neonatal intensive care unit.