The 4 most important diseases of the skeletal system

These are the main diseases that affect the bone tissue of human beings.

The skeletal system allows us humans to enjoy freedom of movement, posture and relationship with the environment from a mechanical perspective. This structural conglomerate is composed of 206 different parts, which is by no means an insignificant number if we factor in the weight and stature of our species.

Thus, the skeleton represents a total of 12% of the weight of the adult individual. In a 75-kilogram person, this corresponds to 9 kilograms of bone structures. To put this figure in perspective, the nerve command center (the brain) weighs an average of one and a bit kilograms.

There is no doubt that the skeleton enables our existence as we know it today. After all, what would what would become of our species if we could not stand upright? Unfortunately, there are a number of diseases of the skeletal system to be taken into account throughout the life of the adult individual.

It should be noted that in this space we are going to focus on purely bone diseases, that is to say, those that mainly affect the bone structures. Pathologies such as osteoarthritis, gout or pseudogout can result in bone damage, but affect the cartilage structure in its early stages. Here we present to you the main diseases of the osseous system purely linked to the bone tissue..

4 diseases of the skeletal system: our structural base endangered

First of all, it is necessary to note that musculoskeletal diseases and disorders are much more common than might at first be expected.. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a number of interesting figures on the subject:

• Musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide, with low back pain being the most represented type on Earth.
• Between one in three and one in five people suffer from a painful and disabling osteoarticular or muscular condition.
• They represent the highest proportion of persistent painful conditions (without taking into account cancerous processes).
• Up to half of the cases are related to underlying pathologies, i.e. they are multimorbid disorders.

From birth to 20 years of age, the body synthesizes and adds more bone tissue than is degraded by cell death and wear and tear. by cell death and wear and tear. As time progresses, the body may not deposit bone as fast as it is lost, leading to various complications from a skeletal standpoint. While it is true that the elderly are the age group that most experience this type of pathology, they are not the only ones. Below you will find the most common diseases of the skeletal system.

1. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disease.. It occurs when the body breaks down more bone tissue than can be replaced, which weakens the bones and promotes injury and fracture. In Spain alone, this disease is responsible for 500,000 fractures and 800,000 hospital stays per year. In addition, it is estimated that at the age of 79 years, 40% of women suffer from lumbar osteoporosis.

According to the World Health Organization, this pathology becomes official in the individual when he/she presents a bone mineral density (BMD) less than or equal to 2.5 standard deviations below the average bone mass of healthy 20-year-olds.. This pathology promotes bone porosity (hence the name), but presents asymptomatically until lesions occur.

In addition to age (an essential factor) there are other physical parameters that can promote the appearance of osteoporosis in the individual, such as bone cancer, some types of chemotherapy, family history, steroid therapies or prolonged periods of physical inactivity. It should be noted that women are more predisposed to this pathology, since after menopause there are imbalances in estrogen levels, a hormone that helps maintain bone density.

2. Osteogenesis imperfecta

We completely change paradigm, because just as osteoporosis is a disease that responds to a physical deterioration in the individual and occurs relatively commonly, osteogenesis imperfecta is caused by genetic mutations and is considered a rare disease. is caused by genetic mutations and is considered a rare disease..

Ninety percent of cases of this disease are caused by autosomal dominant mutations, and it generally affects one in 15,000 newborns. This pathology is widely associated with a heterogeneous disorder of the connective tissue, mainly caused by a poor synthesis and deposition of collagen (essential structural protein). Unfortunately, a person with osteogenesis imperfecta has a 50% chance of transmitting the causative gene to his or her son or daughter.

This pathology results in a variable spectrum of bone fragilityThis can manifest itself in abnormal bone breaks with no apparent explanation. Just as osteoporosis is the queen of diseases of the skeletal system, osteogenesis imperfecta is considered an unfortunate exception.

3. Bacterial infections

Few people know that, being another tissue of a cellular and organic nature (however many minerals it contains and however hard it is), bone can also be affected by microorganisms such as bacteria. This is the case of osteomyelitis, a pathology caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus in 90% of infections.

We are dealing with pathogenic microorganisms that have settled in the bone tissue and have generally arrived by hematogenous route, i.e. through the patient's bloodstream. Once the bone is infected, leukocytes enter it with the intention of fighting the bacteria, but along the way they release enzymes that end up corroding the bone tissue.

The pus produced by the infection spreads through the blood vessels that supply the bone, causing abscesses and preventing nutrients and oxygen from reaching the bone cells. As you can guess, this results in cell death and necrosis of the affected area. Of course, we are facing a pathology of a very unpleasant nature, which may also require Antibiotic treatment for weeks or months due to its difficult elimination.

Finally, in the most severe cases, antibiotic treatment may be required for weeks or months due to its difficult elimination, in the most severe cases, surgery may be required for the removal of the necrotized bone tissue.. This is then filled with a prosthesis or graft, which stimulates healing and recovery of the affected area. As with other severe bacterial infections, the symptoms of bone infections are first expressed by fevers, tremors and malaise on the part of the patient.

4. Bone cancer

It seems that no tissue with cell division is spared. no tissue with cell division is spared the possibility of developing a cancerous tumor.. Bones are no different, as they contain living cells that can eventually undergo uncontrolled division due to abnormal mutations, giving rise to the dreaded bone cancer.

Osteosarcoma is the most common variant of this disease, and mainly affects young people between 10 and 19 years of age, as only 10% of those affected are over 60 years of age. This type of tumor is most commonly located in the bones of the arms, legs and pelvis.

It should be noted that many types of cancer metastasize to the bone, but this does not mean that we are dealing with bone cancer as such.. A malignant breast tumor that has spread to the skeletal system is a metastatic breast cancer, not a bone cancer in the strict sense.

Conclusions

As we have been able to observe, in this space we have touched on all possible areas. We have given the example of a "natural" bone disease, another one genetically inheritable and very rare, a third one of infectious origin and the last one due to a cancerous process.

Of course, this highlights the wide spectrum of diseases that can affect the skeletal system of the human being. In any case, the symptomatology is more or less homogeneous in almost all pathologies: a greater facility to bone fracture or a possible localized pain and swelling in the affected area is observed.

Bibliographic references:

• Bone cancer, cancer.org. Retrieved September 8 from https://www.cancer.org/es/cancer/cancer-de-hueso/deteccion-diagnostico-clasificacion-por-etapas/senales-sintomas.html.
• Cramer, J. A., Gold, D. T., Silverman, S. L., & Lewiecki, E. M. (2007). A systematic review of persistence and compliance with bisphosphonates for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis International, 18(8), 1023-1031.
• Bone Diseases, MedlinePlus.gov. Retrieved September 8 from https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/osteogenesisimperfecta.html.
• Gutiérrez-Díez, M. P., Molina Gutiérrez, M. A., Prieto Tato, L., Parra García, J. I., & Bueno Sánchez, A. M. (2013). Osteogenesis imperfecta: new perspectives. Rev Esp Endocrinol Pediatr, 4(160), 75-85.
• Osteoporosis, cancer.net. Retrieved Sept. 8 from https://www.cancer.net/es/asimilaci%C3%B3n-con-c%C3%A1ncer/efectos-f%C3%ADsicos-emocionales-y-sociales-del-c%C3%A1ncer/manejo-de-los-efectos-secundarios-f%C3%ADsicos/osteoporosis.
• Musculoskeletal disorders, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved September 8 from https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/musculoskeletal-conditions#:~:text=The%20disorders%20of%20this%20type,syst%C3%A9mic%2C%20such%20as%20rheumatoid%20arthritis%20.