Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis

Radiological and clinical features are presented in 14 patients with idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis. The disease shows a characteristic pattern with onset before puberty, a limited course, and usually ends in remission with or without residual deformity, depending on the severity. In contrast to osteogenesis imperfecta, which is the main differential diagnosis, a familial history is absent in these patients. Haematological and biochemical analyses are usually normal in idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis, apart from a negative calcium balance in some severely affected patients.