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|Types of Bone Disease|
|Written by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA|
Bone diseases are conditions that result in the impairment of normal bone function and can make bones weak. Weak bones should not just be excused as a natural part of aging.
Strong bones begin in childhood. People of all ages can improve their bone health.
Bone is a connective tissue that contains a hardened matrix of mineral salts and collagen fibers. Its cells include osteocytes, which are embedded within lacunae, and the free-roaming osteoblasts and osteoclasts.
Your bones help you move, give you shape and support your body. In addition to providing shape and structure to the body, bone stores mineral salts and aids information of blood cells under an outer "periosteum" layer, compact bone, a hard mass made up of layers of bone cell (osteocyte) tissue in concentric layers (Haversian system), forms the outer shell of most bones, surrounding inner spongy bone with its network of bony bars, and nerves. Bones support body structures, protect internal organs, and (in conjunction with muscles) facilitate movement; are also involved with cell formation, calcium metabolism, and mineral storage. The bones of an animal are, collectively, known as the skeleton.
Bone is Living Tissue
Bone are living tissues that rebuild constantly throughout your life. During childhood and your teens, your body adds new bone faster than it removes old bone. After about age 20, you can lose bone faster than you make bone. To have strong bones when you are young, and to prevent bone loss when you are older, you need to get enough calcium, vitamin D and exercise.
Types of Bone disease
There are many kinds of bone problems. The most common bone disease is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone structure. Low bone mass means that bones have less than optimal amounts of calcium and other minerals that make them strong. As a result of low bone mass, bones become weak and break, or can fracture more easily. A healthy skeletal system with strong bones is essential to overall health and quality of life. Strong bones support us and are the framework for our muscles. Bones are a storehouse for vital minerals needed to live. Strong bones protect the heart, lungs, brain, and other organs from injury. Weak bones often result in painful and debilitating fractures.
Arthritis is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. Arthritic diseases include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, which are autoimmune diseases; septic arthritis, caused by joint infection; and the more common osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Arthritis can be caused from strains and injuries caused by repetitive motion, sports, overexertion, and falls. Unlike the autoimmune diseases , osteoarthritis largely affects older people and results from the degeneration of joint cartilage.
Other types of bone disease includes:
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