i need serious answers only not jerks just looking for points....what is degenerative bone disease ??

# Osteoporosis is the most common degenerative disease in developed countries because of extended lifespan. This disease is characterized by loss of bone and increased skeletal fragility, leading to an increased number of fractures.

# In the United States, osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually.

# One in two women and one in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

# The consequences are devastating. Approximately one-fourth of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die in the year following their fractures due to the dramatic change in their lifestyles.

# The estimated national direct expenditures by physicians, hospitals and nursing homes for osteoporosis-associated fractures totaled $15 billion in 2000. This cost is expected to rise 5 to 10% per year as the population ages.

Osteoporosis is the answer that the web gives...I have degenerative back disease. That is where the bones are slowly deterierating away a little at a time to which eventually I will have to have surgery or end up in a wheelchair. That is the best explanation I can give you...Hope it helped you!!! :)

Definition:

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder. The chronic disease causes the cushioning (cartilage) between the bone joints to wear away, leading to pain and stiffness. It can also cause new pieces of bone, called bone spurs, to grow around the joints.

Alternative Names:

Hypertrophic osteoarthritis; Osteoarthrosis; Degenerative joint disease; DJD; OA; Arthritis - osteoarthritis

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Most of the time, the cause of osteoarthritis (OA) is unknown. It is primarily related to aging. However, metabolic, genetic, chemical, and mechanical factors can play a role in its development.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis usually appear in middle age and are present in almost everyone by the age of 70. Before the age of 55, the condition occurs equally in both sexes. However, after 55 it is more common in women.

The cartilage of the affected joint becomes rough and wears down (degenerates). As the disease gets worse, the cartilage disappears and the bone rubs on bone. Bony spurs usually develop around the joint.

OA is classified as primary or secondary. Primary OA occurs without any type of injury or identifiable cause. Secondary OA is osteroarthritis due to another disease or underlying condition. The most common causes of secondary OA are metabolic conditions, such as acromegaly, problems with anatomy (for example, being bow-legged), injury, or inflammatory disorders like septic arthritis.

When the bone deteriorates, becomes weak and porous, it is degenerative bone disease. Most people, as they age, tend to have some deterioration of the bones or joints. An orthopedic physician can diagnose this with x-rays or a bone scan.

Common degenerative disc disease questions

Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common causes of low back pain, and also one of the most misunderstood. Many patients diagnosed with low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease are left wondering exactly what this diagnosis means for them. Common questions that are often on patients’ minds include:

If I have low back pain from degenerative disc disease in my thirties, how much worse will it become with age?

Will the degenerative disc disease become a crippling condition? Will I end up in a wheelchair?

Should I restrict my activities?

Can I still play sports?

Will the degenerative disc disease spread to other parts of the spine?

Will the low back pain from degenerative disc disease cause any permanent damage?

Degenerative disc disease is a misnomer

A large part of many patients’ confusion is that the term “degenerative disc disease” sounds like a progressive, very threatening condition. However, this condition is not strictly degenerative and is not really a disease:

Part of the confusion probably comes from the term "degenerative", which implies to most people that the symptoms will get worse with age. The term applies to the disc degenerating, but does not apply to the symptoms. While it is true that the disc degeneration is likely to progress over time, the low back pain from degenerative disc disease usually does not get worse and in fact usually gets better over time.

Another source of confusion is probably created by the term "disease", which is actually a misnomer. Degenerative disc disease is not really a disease at all, but rather a degenerative condition that at times can produce pain from a damaged disc.

Disc degeneration is a natural part of aging and over time all people will exhibit changes in their discs consistent with a greater or lesser degree of degeneration. However, not all people will develop symptoms. In fact, degenerative disc disease is quite variable in its nature and severity.

Medical practitioners disagree on degenerative disc disease

Finally, many patients are confused about degenerative disc disease because many medical professionals don’t agree on what the phrase describes. In practical terms, this means that few practitioners agree on what does and does not constitute a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. Even medical textbooks don’t usually attempt to give an accurate description. Therefore, while many practitioners believe that degenerative disc disease is a common cause of low back pain in young adults, very few agree on the implications.

While there is still a lot of debate in the medical community about degenerative disc disease, a few aspects of the condition are known. This article will discuss aspects of degenerative disc disease that are more commonly accepted, such as the theory of the degenerative cascade, as well as some areas of theory that are still a source of debate in the medical community.

The situations were I've seen this occur is from the result of an injury. A bone is fractured, it severes a vessel within the bone and the resulting portion that had fractured off or even in incomplete breaks develops what is called avascular necrosis. The bone simply doesn't heal and actually degenerates until it is literally pulverized. You see this in navicular fractures and the head of the femur. Usually a prosthesis is needed eventually.

Hope this helps.

Well, the problem is that degenerative bone disease can actually refer to several specific diseases like osteoporosis or Paget's disease - since the bones degenerate in both diseases. There are also "degenerative bone disorders", like osteoarthritis. There's a lot of overlap between all these diseases.

Here are some links to possible diseases:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paget%27s_disease_of_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis

http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/ost...

http://www.osteo.org/bone_health_info.html

Hope this helps a bit!

there are numerous kinds of degenerative bone diseases. One most common is called Osteoporosis, degenerative arthritis is another, suggest you find out which one you are dealing with, then look for information based on the specific disease.

# 1 here a site that can help you

@http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/degen/featur...

this is not a disease that gets worse its actually gets better

take

cal mag

b-complex

vit c

joint health complex

optiflora

@http://www.shaklee.net/thehealthyway

good luck

Degenerative Joint Disease ... Arthritis

Degenerative Joint Disease (degenerative arthritis) is a non-infectious, progressive disorder of the weight bearing joints. The normal articular joint cartilage is smooth, white and translucent. It is composed of cartilage cells (chondrocyte) imbedded in a sponge-like middle, or matrix, made of collagen, protein polysaccharides and water. With early, primary degenerative arthritis, the cartilage becomes yellow and opaque with localized areas of softening and roughening of the surfaces. As the degeneration progresses, the soft areas become cracked and worn exposing bone under the cartilage, which begins to remodel and increase in density while any remaining cartilage begins to fray. Eventually, osteophytes (spurs of new bone), covered by cartilage, form at the edge of the joint. Also, as mechanical wear increases, the cartilage needs repairing. The cartilage cells are unable to produce enough of the sponge-like matrix and therefore the damaged cartilage cannot repair itself. In fact, it has no blood supply to enhance healing.

The majority of degenerative joint disease is the result of mechanical instabilities or aging changes within the joint. This includes old age degenerative arthritis and, in younger animals, may be the result of injuries, bruises, abnormal joint configuration, (i.e. hip dysplasia), or mechanical wear from anterior cruciate ligament rupture (see Volume V/5 of The Mastiff Reporter), patellar luxation, or osteochondritis dissecans.

SYMPTOMS

In most cases, degenerative joint disease is seen in dogs midway through their life expectancy, with an increasing incidence in the older animal. The early signs are mild and include a slight decrease in physical activity with a history that the dog is stiff, "not as playful", and is reluctant to go "on long walks". As the condition progresses, the animal, depending on the joint or joints involved, may stand up slowly after lying down for a period of time, may walk up and down stairs more slowly or may be reluctant to jump up as usual upon household furniture. At this stage, the individual's stiffness will diminish as he/she moves about. This is referred to as warming out of the lameness. Eventually, he/she may be asymptomatic at some time during the course of the day, only to have the whole episode repeat itself the next time he/she gets up from a rest. As the disease progresses, the above-mentioned signs increase in severity to a point where the dog refuses to stand and walk. Cold, damp weather accentuates the clinical signs in most cases, not only because of the cold temperature, but also because of barometric changes.

RADIOGRAPHS (x-rays)

Because cartilage does not show on radiographs (x-rays), early degenerative joint disease may show only a narrowing of the joint space. As the disease progresses, bone spurs, or osteophytes, form and the bone under the cartilage becomes very hard.

TREATMENT

Treatment is limited to reducing the degree of pain present in the joint capsule and surrounding ligaments (the joint cartilage has no nerve endings) so that activity can continue and muscular support can be increased. The most important consideration in the long term treatment of arthritis is the Maintenance of Muscular Support.

As the arthritis progresses and pain worsens, aspirin (Ascriptin), or more potent drugs such as Phenylbutazone, may be required. Corticosteroids can be given, but because of potential side effects, should be used only after other drugs have been tried and found to be unsuccessful. (Ed. Note: New non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been developed by Pfizer Labs and Fort Dodge are potential candidates for treatment of these problems -- ask your vet if your pet would be a good candidate for use of Rimidyl (Pfizer) or Ecto-Gesic (Fort Dodge) for pain and arthritis). These drugs should allow one to maintain the animal on normal exercise levels of walking, jogging or swimming. Swimming is by far the best activity, as it allows maximum motion with minimal weight bearing. Strenuous exercise is contraindicated. Obese dogs should be put on a reducing diet. If surgery is performed on the affected joint, passive flexion and extension exercises will begin soon after bandage removal to "work out the stiffness". This will be followed by very light activity as the long road toward complete rehabilitation is begun.

Another treatment involves drugs that actually help heal the matrix of the damaged cartilage. These innovative drugs have revolutionized the treatment of arthritis when treatment begins before irreversible damage has been sustained.

INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS

Infectious arthritis is the result of the penetration of living microorganisms into the synovial membrane (joint lining), or into the synovial membrane and joint cavity. The most common type of organism causing this problem is bacteria, usually Staphylococcus or Streptococcus.

Three basic causes of bacterial arthritis are:

a penetrating wound of a joint,

the presence of a bacteremia (blood stream infection) with localization in the joint,

the spread of infection from an adjacent osteomyelitis (bone infection).

Once bacteria have entered the joint, the cartilage matrix begins to degenerate. Sometimes, after the patient has been treated and the joint rendered sterile, the cartilage destruction continues. It is thought that this is due to the inability of the uninjured chondrocyte to replace depleted matrix.

The clinical signs are those of the basic inflammatory process: swelling, heat, and pain in the joint(s), and occasional redness of the overlying skin. One or more joints may be involved. The body temperature is often elevated, and the patient is lethargic, occasionally anorectic, resists movement of the joint, and is lame in the affected limb(s). The area should be examined closely for a penetrating wound.

A definitive diagnosis of infectious arthritis can be made only by isolating the infecting organism from the joint fluid or synovial tissue. Clinical history and signs, synovial fluid analysis (other than culture), and radiographic findings can help only to limit the possible causes of a painful joint