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Autosomal/Recessive: (Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcemia)

H.J. Van Peenen, MD

1 July 1996 | Volume 125 Issue 1 | Page 7

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From a chance mating comes a child,
perfectly formed, that sucks and cries
and then a few days later dies.

A fatal flaw in its receptors kills.
And yet the next time its two parents pair
its sibling thrives to guzzle milk and air

for he has wiser molecules
on half his sites and death is nullified.
The normal and the flawed live side by side

in health with only small degrees of rise
in serum calcium to show what lurks
within the cell's bland skin. Cation works

quite well in those who have one false allele.
But to have two is death! And all because
receptors with the least of flaws,

a single substitute among
six hundred thirteen moieties,
occur by chance or curse.

With one allele, occult disease,
with two, fatality at birth.

Author and Article Information

Top Author & Article Info

Salem, OR 97302
Requests for Reprints: H.J. Van Peenen, MD, 380 Jerris Avenue SE, Salem, OR 97302.

Article    Table of Contents                  Services    Send comment/rapid response letter    Notify a friend about this article    Alert me when this article is cited    Add to Personal Archive    Download to Citation Manager    ACP Search                            Get Permissions  Google Scholar    Search for Related Content  PubMed Articles in PubMed by Author:    Van Peenen, H.J.    PubMed