title: Osteoporosis as the presenting sign of leukemic relapse in an adolescent: case report and literature review.
abstract: Osteoporosis in adolescence is rare and usually secondary to an underlying disease process whose diagnosis may be difficult to detect. Osteoporotic vertebral collapse is an uncommon presenting sign of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We describe a 13-year-old boy with osteoporotic vertebral collapse secondary to relapse of ALL whose blood count and blood morphology were normal but whose 1,25 = (OH2) = vitamin D level was deficient. A combination of chemotherapy, calcitriol and calcitonin therapy was successful in reversing the process. His case is presented to describe the diagnostic and therapeutic issues involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Rohn
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Byrd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002118:Calcium / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D002117:Calcitriol; D006909:Hydroxyproline; D002118:Calcium