Bone Diseases

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Basics

Summary
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Diagnosis and Tests
Prevention and Risk Factors

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Related Issues
Specifics
Genetics

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Summary

Your bones help you move, give you shape and support your body. They are living tissues that rebuild constantly throughout your life. During childhood and your teens, your body adds new bone faster than it removes old bone. After about age 20, you can lose bone faster than you make bone. To have strong bones when you are young, and to prevent bone loss when you are older, you need to get enough calcium, vitamin D, and exercise. You should also avoid smoking and drinking too much alcohol.

Bone diseases can make bones easy to break. Different kinds of bone problems include:

Low bone density and osteoporosis, which make your bones weak and more likely to break
Osteogenesis imperfecta makes your bones brittle
Paget's disease of bone makes them weak
Bones can also develop cancer and infections
Other bone diseases, which are caused by poor nutrition, genetics, or problems with the rate of bone growth or rebuilding

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

Bones, Muscles, and Joints: The Musculoskeletal System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Alkaline Phosphatase (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Bone Biopsy (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Bone Density Scan (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Bone Scan (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Bone X-Ray (Radiography) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Calcium Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Healthy Bones at Every Age (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Related Issues

Bone and Joint Problems Associated with Diabetes (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Hyperparathyroidism (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Oral Health and Bone Disease (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Specifics

Bone Spurs (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Bone Tumor (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Chondroblastoma (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Chondromyxoid Fibroma (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Enchondroma (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Extra-Abdominal Desmoid Tumors (Aggressive Fibromatoses) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Fibrous Dysplasia (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Hypophosphatasia (Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation) - PDF
Klippel-Feil Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Osteochondroma (Bone Tumor) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Osteoid Osteoma (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Osteopetroses (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Genetics

Acromicric dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Adams-Oliver syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Atelosteogenesis type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Atelosteogenesis type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Atelosteogenesis type 3: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Boomerang dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Caffey disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Campomelic dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Camurati-Engelmann disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Cantú syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
CHST3-related skeletal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Cranioectodermal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Craniometaphyseal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Diastrophic dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Fibrochondrogenesis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Ghosal hematodiaphyseal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Greenberg dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hereditary multiple osteochondromas: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hypophosphatasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Intrauterine growth restriction, metaphyseal dysplasia, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, and genital anomalies: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Juvenile Paget disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Klippel-Feil syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Langer mesomelic dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Larsen syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Maffucci syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Majeed syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Mandibuloacral dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
McCune-Albright syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Melnick-Needles syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Miller syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Multicentric osteolysis, nodulosis, and arthropathy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Nager syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Ollier disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Osteopetrosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Otopalatodigital syndrome type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Otopalatodigital syndrome type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Platyspondylic lethal skeletal dysplasia, Torrance type: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Potocki-Shaffer syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Progressive osseous heteroplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Proteus syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Pyle disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Rothmund-Thomson syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Schwartz-Jampel syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
SOST-related sclerosing bone dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spondylocarpotarsal synostosis syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spondyloenchondrodysplasia with immune dysregulation: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Stüve-Wiedemann syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Tarsal-carpal coalition syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Tetra-amelia syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type II: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Weyers acrofacial dysostosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Winchester syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
X-linked chondrodysplasia punctata 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
X-linked chondrodysplasia punctata 2: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Bone Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteomyelitis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Appendicular Skeleton (National Cancer Institute)
Axial Skeleton (National Cancer Institute)

Find an Expert

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish
National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Children

Campomelic dysplasia (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) Also in Spanish
Healthy Bones Matter (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Kids and Their Bones: A Guide for Parents (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
Osteochondritis Dissecans (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Pseudoachondroplasia (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Your Bones (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Blount Disease (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

ALP - blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
ALP isoenzyme test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Blount disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bone lesion biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bone pain or tenderness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bone tumor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bowlegs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Fibrous dysplasia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Osteomalacia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Osteopenia - premature infants (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish