Trace element characteristics of a Gorham-Stout Syndrome sufferer

Gorham-Stout Syndrome (GSS) is an infrequent and mysterious bone disease characterized by massive bone dissolving or even disappearing due to an unknown pathogeny. It is quite different from the Itai-itai disease and osteoporosis. In 2001, an 8-year-old boy from a small town in Xinjiang was found to get GSS disease. Some parts of his bones vanished without any external force. Results showed that the concentrations of Cd and Cu, especially Na and K in his hair were far higher than those of the healthy people, and the concentration of Cd was 2 times that of the reference while those of Cr and Zn were insufficient for health. The ratio of K/Na was also higher than that of healthy group. Four different ratios revealed weak bone growth potential and strong bone breakage occurred simultaneously in the GSS sufferer’s skeletal system. It might be the synergistic effect of the trace elements leading to the baffling syndrome. Further investigation demonstrated that the trace elements can cause a series of diseases, including GSS disease and a typical rheumatoid arthritis (ARA). Epidemiological investigation also proved that there were about 25% of the inhabitants in the town suffered from an ARA. All of these data implied there was significant relationship among Gorham-Stout Syndrome, ARA and prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.