Idiopathic transient osteoporosis

Idiopathic transient osteoporosis usually occurs as a result of other medical conditions. It has been found to happen during pregnancy, with some blood problems (abnormalities of fibrinolysis) and then there are cases with NO KNOWN laboratory cause.

How does a person know that they have this condition? What sends them for testing?  The condition is usually associated with pain in the hip and that pain causes the person to seek medical care. ( In at least one case, there was also involvement of the knee rather than the hip.)

What is of real interest is that the condition usually resolves on its own.

If you want to review some research on this condition check out the following:

Idiopathic transient osteoporosis

1. One of the earliest studies on this condition was published in 1973 in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The authors were T. PANTAZOPOULOS; E. EXARCHOU; G. HARTOFILAKIDIS-GAROFALIDIS. These authors studied nine osteoporosis patients presenting with pain in the hip, slight limitation of motion but whose condition resolved spontaneously after a few months.  
2. In 1987 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery published an article by researchers in Israel: "Idiopathic transient osteoporosis of the hip " by LZ Shifrin, ND Reis, H Zinman, and MI Besser.                                                          .ABSTRACT:We have reviewed 11 patients with idiopathic transient osteoporosis of the hip; the six who were women all developed the condition during pregnancy. Both simultaneous and sequential bilateral involvement were seen, but biochemical studies were consistently normal and one synovial biopsy showed only non-specific inflammation. Radioisotope bone scans and CT scans were useful to aid diagnosis. Treatment by limiting weight-bearing relieved symptoms, and spontaneous resolution was paralleled by radiographic remineralisation, usually within a few months. One patient developed a stress fracture of the hip and other areas of transient osteoporosis. A hip involved by the condition should be protected from overloading until bone density has recovered.
3. The Journal of Hematology published a study in 1993 by decreased fibrinolytic potential in patients with idiopathic avascular necrosis and transient osteoporosis of the hip by Peter J. Van Veldhuizen, Dr. James Neff, Mark D. Murphey, David Bodensteiner and Dr. Barry S. Skikne.                                                                                                            ABSTRACT  A thrombotic etiology has been suggested as the cause of idiopathic avascular necrosis of the hip, although the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are unknown. Transient osteoporosis of the hip has also been suggested to represent bone marrow edema that may be related to ischemia. We evaluated four patients with idiopathic avascular necrosis and one patient with transient osteoporosis of the hip for thrombotic potential placing a special emphasis on the fibrinolytic system. All five patients had identifiable abnormalities of fibrinolysis. Four patients had elevated levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and one patient had an inadequate increase in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) post venous occlusion. Serum triglycerides were increased in three of the patients. These findings suggest an association between decreased fibrinolytic potential and the subsequent development of avascular necrosis and transient osteoporosis of the hip. These patients should have an evaluation of the fibrinolytic system with tPA and PAI-1 levels as well as a lipid profile.
4. And in 2009 the Arch Osteoporosis published an article by researchers from Jordan titled: Male transient hip osteoporosis: are physicians at a higher risk?

Read about other Causes of bone loss

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