Atypical femoral fracture in a beta-thalassemia major patient with previous bisphosphonate use: case report and a review of the literature

There are numerous studies presenting the beneficial effect of bisphosphonates (BPs) on bone disease of patients suffering from beta-thalassemia major (TM). Although BPs have been widely used, adverse events have been described including atypical femoral fractures (AFF). In the present case, a male adult patient suffering from TM sustained an AFF fulfilling all major and two minor criteria. Before AFF, the patient had been treated with zoledronic acid for three years and remained another one year without osteoporosis therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of AFF in a patient suffering from TM, probably due to the small sample size of patients with thalassemia. The purpose of the present case is to increase the awareness amongst haematologists, who mainly deal with TM patients, of the adverse events of BP use.