Case 1 : Addison disease

Case 1 : Addison disease

A 12-year-old girl presented with vague abdominal discomfort for 6 months. She had noticed occasional diarrhoea but had not passed any blood. She admitted to weight loss (6kg) and anorexia. On examination, she was obviously pigmented, although she thought this was sun induced; however, her buccal mucosa and gums were also brown. There were no other physical signs.

She had a low cortisol level and her response to the adrenocorticotrophic hormone in a Synacthen test was poor. A diagnosis of adrenal cortical failure was made. X-ray of her abdomen showed no calcified areas in either adrenal gland, and her serum contained antibodies to adrenal cortex, consistent with a diagnosis of Addison's disease due to autoimmune adrenalitis. Her serum also contained antibodies to pancreatic islet cells and thyroid microsomes. In view of her young age at presentation and these serum antibodies, she will be followed at yearly intervals to see if she develops other autoimmune endocrinopathies.

from: www.immunologyclinic.com

Case presentation : Occult hip fracture

An 87-year-old man tripped and fell; subsequently, persistent pain developed in the left hip. A radiograph of the left hip 2 weeks after the fall revealed diffuse osteopenia with no evidence of fracture (Panel A). Because clinical suspicion of fracture was great, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hip was performed, which revealed edema (on fat-suppressed fast spin–echo T2-weighted coronal imaging [Panel B, arrows]) and a nondisplaced fracture line (on T1-weighted coronal imaging [Panel C, arrows]) in the intertrochanteric left hip. The patient desired nonoperative management, and therefore he was given restrictions on weight-bearing activity with close orthopedic follow-up. He was treated empirically with calcium and vitamin D supplementation and a bisphosphonate. The patient has done well, with resolution of hip pain after 4 months of restricted weight-bearing. If hip fracture is not promptly recognized (such as on MRI) and treated, a nondisplaced fracture may, over time, become displaced because of continued weight-bearing, requiring more-invasive surgery, such as hip arthroplasty, for treatment.

From New England Journal of Medicine
Emily N. Vinson, M.D.
Duke University Medical Center