Familial transient osteoporosis of the hip? On account of three cases from the same family

Abstract

Transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) is a rare clinical entity characterized by a spontaneous hip pain associated with a delayed appearance of osteoporosis in the femoral head. In this report, we present three members of the same family, who were diagnosed with TOH based on the radiological findings. In case 1. a 29-year-old, single, non-pregnant female presented with severe, increasing pain in the right hip with a diagnosis of TOH. In case 2. the patient is the father of the above-mentioned patient and presented with pain in the right hip at the age of 48 years. 9 years before the date when his daughter was diagnosed with TOH. In case 3. the patient is the uncle of the case 1 patient and brother of case 2 patient. He was referred to our outpatient clinic and was diagnosed with TOH 8 years before the admission of the case 1 patient. Our case 1 was an interesting case of TOH, considering the distinct features of this patient, who was a non-pregnant woman with migratory transient osteoporosis, as well as familial character of the condition when assessed in association with the other two cases. These findings suggest that genetic factors should be taken into consideration in the etiological assessment, and there is a requirement for gene studies for further clarification.