6.6 2.2.7 diseases

Diseases

Bones like any other part of your body require proper care and can get diseased in older people and malnourished children. Common bone problems includeRickets, Osteoporosis and arthritis.

Rickets

• Childhood disease
• Delay in mineral (calcium phosphate) deposition to harden bones – soft bones
• causing characteristic bowed legs
• Caused by Vitamin D deficiency in the diet or when the body does not receive enough sunlight as the body requires sunlight to make Vitamin D!

An X-ray picture of an adult who suffered from rickets as a child ( http://depts.washington.edu/bonebio/ASBMRed/diseases/rickets/rickets.html )

Osteoporosis

• Greek for “bones with holes”.
• Osteo –bone Porosis – Holes/Passages.
• Common in older people.
• When there is a shortage of calcium in the body or when a bone is inactive e.g leg in plaster or imobilised, calcium is withdrawn from the leg for use inother parts of the body.. This together with a decrease in bone protein, will result in an increased breakdown of bone tissue without an increase in depositof new bone by osteoblasts

and the development of holes in the bone ( hence the name of the disease

• Decrease in bone density which makes it weak and prone to fractures
• The most typical fractures are of the spine, wrist and hip.

Arthritis:

• The most common form of arthritis affects the bone and is known as Osteoarthritis.
• Commonly known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis.
• Degradation of the soft cartilage in joints between bones causes the end of the bones to rub against each other which is painful!

Visualizing osteoarthritis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1d8qK4BEx0&feature=related

Further reading on the web: http://depts.washington.edu/bonebio/ASBMRed/diseases.html

Types of arthritis: http://www.vimovo.com/types-of-arthritis.aspx