Paget's disease of bone: analysis of 134 cases from an island in Southern Brazil: another cluster of Paget's disease of bone in South America.

Paget's disease of bone (PDB) exhibits a marked geographic variation. In Brazil, the prevalence of PDB is unknown and only a few clinical data are available. The aim is to determine clinical, laboratory, imaging and response to treatment data in a large PDB case series in the city of Florianopolis, Brazil. We have performed a retrospective study based on charts reviews of all patients with PDB followed at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina and at five different private rheumatology outpatient offices in Florianopolis, between 1995 and 2009. One hundred and thirty-four patients with PDB were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 63.2 ± 10.5 years, 67.2% were women, and 91.1% were Caucasian. Positive family history was reported in only 8.2%. Polyostotic disease was found in 75.0% of the cases, bone pain in 77.9%, and bone deformities in 15.9%. Higher levels of AP were significantly associated with polyostotic disease and skull involvement. Pelvic bones were the most frequently affected (53.7%). Complications included deafness in 8.2%, bone fractures in 3.0%, hydrocephalus in 2.2%, and cauda equina syndrome in 0.7% of the cases. Treatment with zoledronic acid achieved the best response with only 2.9% failing to respond adequately. According to literature data, PDB in South America seems to be characterized by an overall low prevalence, but with localized clusters with higher prevalence. The authors have described a cluster of PDB in Florianopolis, in Southern Brazil. Further properly designed studies are necessary to clarify the PDB epidemiology in South America.

McCune-Albright syndrome revealed by hyperthyroidism at advanced age.

We report a case of a 38-year-old woman admitted to our service for diagnosis of osteolytic lesions. She suffered from back, lumbar and costal pain at the time a hyperthyroidism, related to multinodular goiter, was diagnosed. The pain remained despite the cure of hyperthyroidism. Cutaneous examination revealed café au lait skin spots. Analysis of the phosphocalcic metabolism allowed the diagnosis of phosphate diabetes. X-ray showed lytic lesions involving the ribs with thinning of the cortex and vertebral fractures of the dorsal spine. The computed tomography revealed lytic lesions with a typical "ground glass" appearance involving the spine, ribs, sternum, iliac bones and sacrum. The presence of this clinical triad allowed the diagnosis of McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS). The treatment consisted in vitamin D supplementation, and high doses of both oral phosphate and calcitriol to treat the phosphate diabetes as well as cycles of intravenous pamidronate administration to relieve bone pain. We report an uncommon case of the diagnosis of MAS at an advanced age following hyperthyroidism. We believe that the disease was revealed by an increase in bone turnover due to hyperthyroidism.

Is McCune-Albright syndrome overlooked in subjects with fibrous dysplasia of bone?

OBJECTIVE: McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is characterized by a clinical triad of endocrinopathies, café au lait pigmentation, and polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone. We hypothesized that children diagnosed with fibrous dysplasia are not routinely being evaluated for coexisting endocrine dysfunction or MAS. Our objective was to prospectively screen subjects with fibrous dysplasia for endocrine disease and G(s)alpha gene (GNAS1 )-activating mutations. STUDY DESIGN: Nine subjects who presented with fibrous dysplasia and were followed in orthopedic clinics were evaluated for other manifestations of MAS. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood, and mutation analysis of GNAS1 was performed. RESULTS: On physical examination, 5 of 9 subjects were found to have café au lait pigmentation. Three of 9 subjects had TSH levels below the normal range. One of these subjects was found to have hyperthyroidism and was treated by total thyroidectomy. GNAS1 mutations were identified in 5 of 9 subjects with either monostotic or polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a substantial proportion of children being followed for fibrous dysplasia of bone have unrecognized clinical and laboratory features of MAS. These children are at risk for endocrinopathy and should be screened accordingly.

Hemihipertrofia corporal y displasia ósea fibrosa: coexistencias de mosaicismos

Se describe un individuo con displasia fibrosa poliostótica sin alteraciones de pigmentación cutánea ni hiperfunción hormonal y una hemihipertrofia corporal completa ipsilateral. Los focos de displasia fibrosa en el miembro superior derecho fueron descubiertos con radiografía corporal con 99Tcm. La biopsia ósea de un área afectada en cúbito derecho mostró cambios histopatológicos carcaterísticos de reemplazo de tejido óseo normal por colágeno tipo III. Es poco usual la presentación de displasia fibrosa poliostótica sin las otras manifestaciones del síndrome de McCune-Albright. Según nuestro conocimiento, aún no se ha reportado en la literatura médica la coexistencia de displasia fibrosa poliostótica con hemihipertrofia corporal completa ipsilateral. Se discute la ocurrencia de dos patologías de carácter esporádico

Sonography of multinodular thyroid gland in children and adolescents.

Multinodular disease of the thyroid gland is uncommon in children and adolescents, and has received little attention in the recent literature. This article reviews the clinical, sonographic, and pathologic findings in 16 children with multinodular disease of the thyroid gland, and draws attention to the high incidence of other associated clinical findings. This condition was associated with a triad including renal and digital anomalies in three patients, with McCune-Albright syndrome in two patients, with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in three patients, and with thyroid carcinoma in four patients. Three of five patients with a history of previous radiation therapy had thyroid carcinoma. Sonography is a proven valuable imaging modality for the study of thyroid disease in children and has contributed to our understanding of multinodular disease of the thyroid gland in this age group.