Osteoporosis

• Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease, affecting nearly 1 in 5 American women over the age of 50. This disease causes thinning of the bones, and it occurs either when the body reabsorbs too much bone or does not produce enough new bone. Symptoms can be invisible until a break or fracture occurs, so it is important to have a bone density test if you are aging or do not consume much calcium. Mildly low bone density is called osteopenia, while medium to very low bone density is called osteoporosis. If you do not treat osteoporosis, your bone density will continue to decrease, eventually making even the most trivial household chores dangerous.
  
  

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

• Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder that causes your bones to be brittle. Often, the bones in patients with OI break for no obvious reason. The prognosis for OI varies depending on the type of OI that you have. Type I and Type IV patients can usually live a normal lifespan, though they may need crutches to walk. Type II and Type III are severe forms of OI, often leading to multiple bone fractures, deformities and death in the first year of life.
  
  

Paget's Disease of Bone

• Paget's disease is a chronic bone disease that causes abnormal bone growth. In the early stages of Paget's disease, bone tissue is broken down and absorbed much faster than normal. This then alerts the body to begin rebuilding bone at a faster rate, but because the body is rushing, the new bones are more brittle, causing them to break and fracture more easily. Depending on which bones of the body are affected, this can lead to other symptoms like bone pain, headaches or arthritis. The cause of Paget's disease is not yet known.
  
  

Osteomyelitis

• Osteomyelitis occurs when the bone is infected, usually by a bacteria that forms pus. It begins as an acute infection, but if it is left untreated, it becomes a chronic infection. A chronic infection can lead to an abscess of pus, depriving the bone of blood and leading to bone death. These infections can occur at any age, and they are often the result of an injury, recent surgery, intravenous drug use or sickle cell anemia.
  
  

Osteomalacia

• When bones soften as a result of vitamin D deficiency, it is called osteomalacia. Like osteoporosis, osteomalacia weakens the bones, but instead of breaking down the bone faster than it can be rebuilt, osteomalacia causes the new bones to remain soft, rather than dense and hard. In the early stages, osteomalacia may not cause noticeable symptoms, but as the disease progresses, it may cause a dull, aching pain. Ultimately, the bones become so fragile that even the lightest activity can cause a break or fracture.