Abstract

Periosteal reaction has different etiologies in early infancy. Physiological periostitis is a well documented x-ray finding which is seen in both preterm and term babies aged 1-6 months and which can easily be misdiagnosed as child abuse and/or pathological periostitis. Here 2.5 month old prematurely born male patient admitted with a history of fever, swollen right upper arm after vaccination and x-rays revealing periosteal reactions on both sides of the humeri, radius, tibiae and femora is presented. Initial diagnosis was child abuse or congenital syphilis. Because of the normal physical findings and serological and biochemical data physiological periostitis was diagnosed. We think that physiological periostitis should be considered in patients with periosteal reactions in the long bones in infants aged 1-6 months.