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Rapid-Onset Diffuse Skeletal Fluorosis from Inhalant Abuse: A Case Report
Eric Cohen1, Raymond Y Hsu, Peter Evangelista
1Departments of Orthopedics (E.C., R.Y.H., R.A., and L.E.R.) and Diagnostic Imaging (P.E.), Brown Alpert Medical School/Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903. Eric_Cohen@brown.edu.
Case:
A thirty-year-old man presented with severely debilitating left hip pain and stiffness. Radiographs demonstrated diffuse osteosclerosis and heterotopic bone formation with near ankylosis of the left hip. The patient underwent successful joint-preserving surgery to restore hip range of motion. After disclosing a history of inhalant abuse, which was confirmed by elevated serum fluoride levels, he was diagnosed with diffuse skeletal fluorosis.
Conclusions:
To the best of our knowledge, we present the first reported case of diffuse skeletal fluorosis caused by inhalant abuse of 1,1-difluoroethane. Skeletal fluorosis is uncommon in the United States but is important to consider in the differential diagnosis when a patient presents with otherwise unexplained joint pain and osteosclerosis.
