Successful high-dose calcium treatment of aluminum-induced metabolic bone disease in long-term home parenteral nutrition

A patient who developed severe metabolic bone disease is presented. He had received long-term home parenteral nutrition (HPN) following extensive small bowel resection after mesenteric vein thrombosis. Bone disease caused by aluminum intoxication had components of osteomalacia and low-turnover osteoporosis. Aluminum was detected at the surface of mineralized bone and was elevated in the serum, resulting in a positive deferoxamine infusion test. One year of treatment with high doses of calcium (up to 24 mEq per day) significantly diminished the patient's bone pain, increased the serum levels of calcium, abolished aluminum deposits in the mineralized trabecula, improved bone formation, and increased trabecular bone volume as assessed by repeated histomorphometric analysis.