Effects of human calcitonin on pain in the treatment of Tietze's syndrome.

Tietze's syndrome consists of pain, tenderness, and swelling of the costosternal or sternoclavicular joints. The etiology is unknown, although microtrauma or rare infections have been though to be responsible for the lesion. Conventional therapy consists of anti-inflammatory drugs, sometimes combined with chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics. Surgery is usually deemed necessary for cases that do not respond to conventional therapy. Experience with the use of human calcitonin in five patients suffering from severe Tietze's syndrome who did not respond to conventional therapy is reported. Symptoms improved within seven days, and all symptoms and signs had disappeared after one month of treatment. The beneficial effects of calcitonin are believed to result from the hormone's well-known analgesic and immunomodulating effects.