Bone Diseases :: essays research papers fc

Bone indispositions most directlyinfluence the ability to walk or to move any part ofthe body--hands, limbs, neck, and spine. They berelated to articulatio disorders--ARTHRITIS,COLLAGEN DISEASE, DISLOCATION ofjoints, and RHEUMATISM. The medicalspecialty pertaining to bone disorders isORTHOPEDICS. Fractures be the mostcommon bone disorders. They can occur as theresult of an accident or be secondary to metabolicdiseases. Fractures are life-threatening to agedpeople having the metabolic bone diseaseOSTEOPOROSIS, in which bones becomeporous and brittle. A person, mostly women,having osteoporosis may break a hip during a falland possibly die from complications. Birth Defects inhering bone diseases constitute a widespectrum, ranging from the unimportant--forinstance, flaccid bow legs--to severe lesions, such asspina bifida, in which the lower end of the spinefails to develop properly and the baby is born withparalysis and misshapen vertebrae. Congenitaldiseases may have hormonal bas es for example,fibrous DYSPLASIA, in which fibrous tissuereplaces that of some bones, often results in bonedeformity in addition, some girls with this diseasephysically mature so early that they are capable ofpregnancy and childbirth at the age of seven.Congenital defects also may have hereditary bases,as in families who have extra fingers or toes or inthe disease osteogenesis imperfecta, in whichchildren have such brittle bones that many arefractured. Disorders of growth and developmentinclude several kinds of dwarfism and gigantism.Bones or limbs may develop deformity as theresult of known causes, such as the infectionpoliomyelitis, or unknown or variable causes, suchas curvature of the spine (SCOLIOSIS) orCLUBFOOT. Infections Infections of bone, calledosteomyelitis, are usually caused by pus-producingbacteria, especially staphylococcus andStreptococcus. Before the development ofantibiotics, children frequently contracted thisdisease. Today bone infections are introducedprimaril y through fractures and during surgicaloperations. People infected with syphilis,tuberculosis, leprosy, or yaws are susceptible tobone damage. Metabolic Disorders Metabolicabnormalities often involve defects in the storageof minerals, particularly calcium and phosphateions, in the skeleton. Diseases of the kidney cancause a metabolic imbalance of phosphate andcalcium so that weakening of the bone occurs.Other metabolic bone diseases are osteoporosis,gout, OSTEOARTHRITIS, and PAGETSDISEASE. Nutritional Disorders Nutritionaldeficiencies that result in bone damage includeRICKETS in children and osteomalacia in adults,caused by a lack of vitamin D. In children, calciumand phosphate are poorly distributed on bonesduring development, resulting especially indeformity of the legs and arms. In adults, bones ofthe spine, pelvis, and legs become demineralizedand the bones weaken. SCURVY--caused by alack of vitamin C--also affects bone tissues. Astudy in the late 1980s indicated that the minera lboron is nutritionally important, as well.Apparently, it reduces loss of the bone minerals