Hand-Schuller-Christian disease A form of Langerhans cell histiocytosis usually affecting children aged 2 to 5. The condition is characterized by the accumulation of histiocytes (specialized cells of the immune system) in various organs, causing damage to the tissues. Involvement of bones is characteristic, and the most frequent sites of bony involvement are the flat bones of the skull, ribs, pelvis, and scapula (wing bone). Chronic otitis media due to involvement of the mastoid and the temporal bone is common. Diabetes insipidus affects some patients. See also Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

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