Bone disease is considered any affliction that involves the skeletal system. Bone diseases can be very serious, and require prompt and effective treatment. Bone diseases can be very painful and can rob the patient of mobility and independence.
Symptoms of bone disease vary by each disease, but can include symptoms such as frequent breaking, deformity, pain, limited range of motion, difficulty walking or walking distinctively different, dental problems, hearing loss, blue hue to the white area of the eyes, and headaches.
Some bone diseases are elusive to their causes. While causative factors vary by disease, many bone diseases are caused by genetic factors, viral infection, chemical abnormalities, and a lack of bone collagen, injuries, fractures, damage to blood vessels, excessive use of alcohol, or the long term use of certain medications.
Risk factors for bone diseases can include chronic medication, blood disorders, disease, steroid use, radiation treatments or chemotherapy, pancreatitis, and heredity factors. Many patients who are diagnosed with bone diseases have no risk factors.
Young children are often not diagnosed with bone diseases until after the parents have been cleared of suspected child abuse. Children with multiple broken bones or more than two broken bones in a year are often immediately suspected victims of abuse. Often children with bone diseases are removed from the care of their parents before diagnosis is even considered. Diagnosing bone diseases require numerous tests such as bone scans, x-rays, blood tests, bone biopsies, CT scans, skin biopsies, ear, nose, and throat examinations, and magnetic resonance imaging. Some bone diseases, if severe, cause obvious physical deformities. These are typically diagnosed via physical examination and confirmed with simple testing like x-rays or bone scans or blood tests.
Bone diseases come with their own special set of complications. Living a life while breaking bones simply by doing everyday activities makes the world a dangerous place. Children with bone diseases often develop adjustment and psychological issues relating to their bone disease and their inability to play as well as fears of the world. Other complication can include life threatening breaks, such as puncturing lungs with ribs, heart conditions, scoliosis, and hearing loss or brain injury.
Treatment options may vary, and often depend on the patient’s age, overall health, extent of the disease, the patient’s ability to tolerate treatments, the expected progression of the disease, and the patient’s preference. Treatments may include surgical procedures to protect the bones from damage, deformity, or alignment issues, medications, physical therapy, joint replacement, wheelchair confinement, mobility assistance devices, splinting, bracing, rodding (the placement of rods alongside or even in the bone to allow for straight growth), core decompression (a procedure where the inner layer of the bone is removed), bone grafts (transplantation of healthy bone to assist the growth of unhealthy bone), chemotherapy, radiation, amputation when no other alternative is available, and fracture care.
Self care options include being careful to protect the bones and the bone structure, close monitoring of the heart, lungs, ears, and ability to hear, and exercising as possible and reasonable. Supportive care and emotional support are imperative, especially for children. Dietary health can seriously impact the general health or lack of health in a patient. Poor diet can contribute to symptoms and even contribute to the progression of the disease. Responding appropriately to pain can mean the difference between minor damage and severe damage. Pain is the body’s natural indicator that something is wrong. Patients with even mild bone diseases need to respond to their painful symptoms. Self education is important, allowing the patient to fully understand their best treatment options and allowing them to be completely active in the decision making process.
Coping with bones disease is very difficult. Pain management alone can make a patient feel drowsy or unmotivated. Family support is imperative as is psychological support. Bone diseases can restrict movement and independence, and many bone disease patients actually qualify for assistance dogs. Assistance dogs and other methods of promoting independence can improve self esteem, as well as open options that bone disease patients may not have ever had previously. Working closely with doctors, mental health professionals, and family members to find activities and independence promoting devices and ideas that can keep a family member with a bone disease as active and participatory as possible.
Bone diseases videos
How the Body Works : Repair of Bone
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http://www.youtube.com/v/qVougiCEgH8
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Find out more by viewing the Human Anatomy page:
Circulatory system
Skeletal System
Medication commonly used for these disease:
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Sporanox can also be generically prescribed as itraconazole and is commonly used to treat three types of very serious fungal infections. Infections such as blastomycosis, which infects the lungs, bones, and skin, histoplasmosis, which affects the lungs, h more...
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Fosamax, which is generically prescribed as alendronate, is commonly used to treat osteoporosis in post menopausal women. Fosamax is a member of the family of drugs known as biophosphonates, which breaks the cycle of bone mass break down and loss in the b more...
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Evista, which is generically prescribed as raloxifene, is commonly used to treat or prevent osteoporosis in post menopausal women. Evista alters the bone mass and breakdown cycles in the body. While tests are still pending, Evista seems to have a very low more...
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Acuretic is a popular prescribed drug that functions by keeping the kidney from retaining too much water. Commonly called HCT, Acuretic is a water pill that allows the kidney to release excess water and sodium through the urine. Acuretic is often prescri more...
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Osteoporosis naturally comes with aging for people who had been deaf to their daily calcium needs while they were young. Your lifestyle might be a high risk factor to osteoporosis, especially if it is constricting in a sense that you lack activity. Yes, o more...
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Alfacip is used to treat osteoporosis, bone loss due to age, steroid or other medication use. Osteoporosis means “porous bones,” and it causes bones to become weak and brittle. Sometimes they become so brittle that even mild stresses can result in more...
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Bromocriptine is an ergoline derivative, a substance which causes vasoconstriction or a narrowing of the blood vessels. It is also a dopamine agonist drug that works by activating dopamine receptors in the brain for effective use against pituitary tumors more...
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Estrace is the brand name for the drug estradiol. Estradiol comes in many different forms, including gel, vaginal cream, vaginal ring, and tablets. Estrace is in the class of drugs called estrogens, which means that they use the female hormone es more...
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Estradiol, which is also prescribed as Estrace Vaginal Cream, is commonly used to treat symptoms of menopause such as itching, dryness, or burning of the vaginal area, as well as the urgent need to urinate and irritation while urinating.
Estradiol is not more...
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Hydrochlorothiazide can often be shortened to just HCT, HCTZ, or HZT so that patients and doctors don’t have a hard time remembering it. HCT is a complicated drug that is used mainly for heart problems, high blood pressure, hypertension, symptomatic edema more...
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