Hepatitis C-associated osteosclerosis: a case report.

A 38-year-old man presented for evaluation of severe pain in his lower limbs of 16 months' duration. Radiographs showed diffuse bony sclerosis involving the axial and appendicular skeleton with marked cortical thickening in the diaphyseal regions of the long bones. Iliac crest biopsy revealed abundant sclerotic bone. The patient was diagnosed with hepatitis C secondary to intravenous drug use 20 years earlier, and the bony findings and clinical symptoms attributed to hepatitis C-associated osteosclerosis (HCAO). Little is known about the natural history of this disease; however, we discuss the patient's clinical course over 15 years.