A case-report of idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis with particular reference to 47-calcium absorption

Calcium metabolism was studied in a 12-year-old girl preseting with idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis. Absorption of orally administered 47-Ca was high. Serum calcium and phosphorus, serum immunoreactive PTH and CT and tubular phosphate reabsorption were found to be within normal limits. The data suggest that calcium malabsorption, nutritional calcium deficiency, hyperparathyroidism, a dysfunction related to sex hormones, and Cushing's syndrome cannot be implicated in the aetiology of the osteoporosis in this case who recovered spontaneously with sexual maturation.