U.C.L.A. Rheumatology Pathophysiology of Disease Course Lecture,
Second Year Medical School 1997

  
 
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Osteoporosis    Page 23
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Osteoporosis
 written by:
Craig Wiesenhutter, M.D.
      Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which there is both a loss in the bone mass as well as an abnormality in the microarchitecture of bone (figure 1). Osteoporosis is a common disorder and it is estimated that about 50% of American women will develop the disease sometime in their lifetime.
       Normal bony architecture consists of cortical and trabecular bone (figure 2a). There is constant turnover of bone with both formation and resorption occurring in a carefully controlled and balanced fashion. This control is referred to a a "coupled process". Trabecular bone turns over 25% of its mass each year, whereas cortical bone turns over 3% of its mass.
      		    
 
Figure 1. Histology section of osteoporotic bone showing small trabeculae and a large volume of bone marrow. 360 x 240 pixels 29kbs from?
Click Picture or here for larger slide and further discussion (720 x 480 pixels) 93kb
 
 
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