Fractures in adolescents: authors’ reply to Pluskiewicz and Halaba

Excerpt

We thank Dr. Pluskiewicz and Dr. Halaba for their interest in this population survey of fractures. The following diseases (number of cases) were recorded: juvenile euthyreotic goiter (110), asthma (five), follow-up of treated Hodgkin’s disease (one), chronic hepatitis B (one), and juvenile arthritis (one). One-hundred seventy respondents reported no milk consumption; some may have had cow’s milk allergy. This was presented and discussed in the manuscript. Some respondents may have had osteogenesis imperfecta or silent celiac disease, but those reporting seven to 10 fractures reported neither illness nor drug therapy. Hospitalizations occurred in 27 (7.2%) of 377 subjects with fractures and in 79 (9.1%) subjects without fractures (not significant). Bone mineral density and personality assessments were not done. General terms were used in the questionnaire to achieve clarity and high response rates. Fractures occurred during school and leisure time activities, including sport. We did not record specified circumstances or mechanisms of injury or falls. …