Diseases and Disorders

• Bone tumors

  • Primary bone cancer, or bone sarcoma, is a cancerous tumor that starts in the bone.
  • The cause is not certain, but heredity may play a role.
  • Radiation therapy or cancer drugs may raise your chances of getting this type of cancer.
  • Osteosarcoma is most common around the knee and upper arm.
  • Most of the time, it is found in teens and young adults.
  • There is an adult form of this tumor that is usually seen in people with Paget's disease of bone.
• Gigantism

  • is an abnormally increased body size due to excessive growth at the epiphyseal plates
• Dwarfism

  • abnormally small body size due to improper growth at the epiphyseal plates
• Osteogenesis imperfecta

  • brittle bones that fracture easily due to insufficient or abnormal collagen
• Rickets

  • growth retardation due to nutritional deficiencies in minerals or vitamin D; result in bones that are soft, weak, and easily broken
• Osteomyelitis

  • bone inflammation often due to bacterial infection that may lead to complete destruction of the bone
• Tuberculosis

  • typically, a lung bacterium that can also affect bone
• Osteomalacia

  • softening of adult bones due to calcium depletion; often caused by vitamin D deficiency
• Arthritis

  • inflammation of a joint; causes include infectious agents, metabolic disorders, trauma, and immune disorders
• Osteoarthritis

  • gradual degeneration of a joint with advancing age; can be delayed with exercise
• Gout

  • increased production and accumulation of uric acid crystals in tissues, including joint capsules
• Bursitis

  • inflammation of a bursa