Article Text
Summary
Hip fractures in the young, healthy population are rare and often the result of high-energy trauma. A previously healthy 17-year-old patient presented to our institution with a 5-week history of left hip and knee pain in the absence of any trauma. Pelvic radiograph revealed a subacute left femoral neck fracture. He subsequently underwent surgical fixation and made an uneventful recovery. Further endocrine evaluation revealed isolated vitamin D deficiency to be the likely underlying cause for this fracture. Multiple previous opportunities were missed to identify the cause for this patient's symptoms. An intracapsular fracture in a young adult requires early recognition and prompt anatomical reduction. This case emphasises the need to maintain a high index of suspicion for atraumatic fractures in healthy adolescents with unexplained joint pain. Further endocrine and metabolic investigations are warranted, and isolated vitamin D deficiency must be considered as a potential causative factor.
- Vitamins and supplements
- Nutrition and metabolism
- Orthopaedics
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Footnotes
Contributors MM, MM, SN and SK contributed towards management of the patient, identification of the patient for case report and reviewing patient notes and investigation findings. MM drafted and edited the manuscript with surgical input from MM and SK and medical input from SN. MM, MM, SN and SK contributed to the critical revision and the final approval of the version to be published.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.