The key difference between osteoporosis and osteopetrosis is that osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs due to decreasing bone mineral density and bone mass, while osteopetrosis is a bone disease that occurs due to abnormally and overly dense grown bones.
Bone is a living tissue that mainly consists of calcium and collagen. It provides a rigid structure known as a skeleton to protect the organs inside the body. Certain health conditions can affect the function of the bones, thus resulting in complications. Osteoporosis and osteopetrosis are two such bone diseases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Osteoporosis
3. What is Osteopetrosis
4. Similarities – Osteoporosis and Osteopetrosis
5. Osteoporosis vs. Osteopetrosis in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Osteoporosis and Osteopetrosis
7. Summary – Osteoporosis vs. Osteopetrosis
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle. People who are suffering from this condition might exhibit signs and symptoms such as back pain caused by a broken bone in the spine, loss of height, stooped posture, and a bone that breaks more easily. Osteoporosis happens when the bone loses its ability to regrow when people become older. Moreover, the risk factors for osteoporosis are sex (women are much more likely to get affected), age (older age), race (more in Asian descent), family history, bone frame size (men and women who have small body frames tend to have a higher risk), low level of sex hormones, thyroid problems, low calcium intake, eating disorders, steroid usage, medical problems (celiac disease, kidney or liver disease, etc.), sedentary lifestyle, alcohol or tobacco consumption.
Figure 02: Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can be diagnosed through family history, physical examination, bone density test, CT scan, and ultrasound. Furthermore, treatment options for osteoporosis may include taking medications like bisphosphonates, denosumab, hormone-related therapy, bone-building medicines (teriparatide), and lifestyle and home remedies (stop smoking, limit alcohol, and prevent falls).
What is Osteopetrosis?
Osteopetrosis is a bone condition that is marked by increased bone density. It is due to defects in bone reabsorption by osteoclasts because of inherited genetic mutations. There are three forms of osteopetrosis: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked recessive. The symptoms of osteopetrosis may include increased bone fracture risk, stunted growth, bone deformities, recurrent infections, bone marrow narrowing due to bone expansion, extramedullary hematopoiesis, blindness, facial paralysis or deafness, cortisol bone abnormalities, temperature regulation problems, bone pain and osteoarthritis, craniosynostosis, hypocalcemia, hydrocephalus, and macrocephaly. Moreover, risk factors for getting this disease are inheriting abnormal genes from one or both parents.
Figure 02: Osteopetrosis
Osteopetrosis can be diagnosed through family history, physical examination, X-ray, bone biopsy, and genetic testing. Furthermore, treatment options for osteopetrosis may include giving calcitriol, gamma interferon, erythropoietin, corticosteroids, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), bone marrow transplantation, and surgery for fractures.
What are the Similarities Between Osteoporosis and Osteopetrosis?
- Osteoporosis and osteopetrosis are two different types of bone diseases.
- Both conditions may result in bone deformities.
- Family history is a risk factor for both diseases.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through family history, physical examination, and imaging tests.
- They can be treated through specific medications.
What is the Difference Between Osteoporosis and Osteopetrosis?
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs due to decreasing bone mineral density and bone mass, while osteopetrosis is a bone disease that occurs due to abnormally and overly dense grown bones. Thus, this is the key difference between osteoporosis and osteopetrosis. Furthermore, osteoporosis is a more common bone condition than osteopetrosis, which is a rare bone condition.
The following table summarizes the difference between osteoporosis and osteopetrosis.
FAQ: Osteoporosis and Osteopetrosis
What are the three types of osteopetrosis based on their mode of inheritance?
Autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked recessive are three types of osteopetrosis based on their mode of inheritance.
Which bones are most affected by osteoporosis?
The bones most often affected are the hips, spine, and wrists
What are the first signs of osteoporosis?
Losing an inch or more of your height may be the first sign of osteoporosis.
Summary – Osteoporosis vs. Osteopetrosis
Bone diseases normally affect the bone structure and function. Some examples of bone diseases are osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, Paget disease, osteogenesis imperfect, osteonecrosis, fibrous dysplasia, osteoarthritis, bone cancer or tumors, and osteomalacia. Therefore, osteoporosis and osteopetrosis are two different types of bone diseases. Osteoporosis occurs due to decreasing bone mineral density and bone mass, while osteopetrosis occurs due to abnormally and overly dense grown bones. So, this summarizes the difference between osteoporosis and osteopetrosis.
Reference:
1. “What Are Osteoporosis Warning Signs?” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Carolino, Jerome, et al. “Osteopetrosis.” American Family Physician.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Osteoporosis — Smart-Servier” By Laboratoires Servier – Osteoporosis, Bone Structure and Bones (in French). (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Osteopetrosis-4” By Dr Maulik S Patel – Case courtesy of Dr Maulik S Patel; (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia