Secondary osteoporosis: case histories

It is important to identify secondary causes of osteoporosis, as treatment often tends to partial recovery of bone mass. This short contribution offers two case studies. The first case study is a 62-year-old widow, who was a regular attender at her family practitioner's surgery, complaining of back pain and diarrhoea. The second case study is a 72-year-old white woman with a 20-year history of rheumatoid arthritis presenting with a 2-week history of mid-thoracic back pain of spontaneous onset. A discussion of the cases is reported, followed by a clinical diagnosis.