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Osteopetrosis



Osteopetrosis (Malignant)
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 Q78.2
ICD-9 756.52
OMIM 166600 259700
DiseasesDB 9377
eMedicine med/1692 
MeSH D010022

Osteopetrosis also known as marble bone disease and Albers-Schonberg disease is an extremely rare inherited disorder whereby the bones harden, becoming denser, in contrast to the more prevalent osteomalacia, in which the bones soften.

It can cause osteosclerosis.[1]

Contents

Cause

Normally, bone growth is a balance between osteoblasts (cells that create bone tissue) and osteoclasts (cells that destroy bone tissue). Sufferers of osteopetrosis have a deficiency of osteoclasts, meaning too little bone is being resorbed, resulting in too much bone being created.

Symptoms

Despite this excess bone formation, people with osteopetrosis tend to have bones that are more brittle than normal. Mild osteopetrosis may cause no symptoms, and present no problems. However, serious forms can result in stunted growth, deformity, increased likelihood of fractures, and anaemia. It can also result in blindness, facial paralysis, and deafness, due to the increased pressure put on the nerves by the extra bone.

Variations

There are three major clinical forms:

Treatment

There is no cure, although curative therapy with bone marrow transplantion is being investigated in clinical trials[citation needed]. It is believed the healthy marrow will provide the sufferer with cells from which osteoclasts will develop.

Notable cases

  • Laurel Burch[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lam DK, Sándor GK, Holmes HI, Carmichael RP, Clokie CM (2007). "Marble bone disease: a review of osteopetrosis and its oral health implications for dentists". J Can Dent Assoc 73 (9): 839–43. PMID 18028760.
  2. ^ Marin County artist Laurel Burch dead at 61 of rare bone disease. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Osteopetrosis". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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