Pictures of calcium related conditions

Too much or too little calcium can have a catastrophic effect on the human body. Varying amounts of the mineral can cause severe bone problems, that can begin in utero or in early childhood, however some can develop later on in life.

We’ve compiled a few pictures of calcium related conditions with a brief description of each one.

Pagets disease

Pagets disease is caused by the excessive breakdown and formation of bone, followed by disorganized bone remodeling. This causes affected bone to weaken, resulting in pain, misshapen bones, fractures and arthritis in the joints near the affected bones. Rarely, it can develop into a primary bone cancer known as Paget’s sarcoma. Often Paget’s disease is localised to only a few bones in the body. The pelvis, femur, and lower lumbar vertebrae are the most commonly affected bones. Paget’s disease typically is localized, affecting just one or a few bones, as opposed to osteoporosis, for example, which usually affects all the bones in the body.

Rickets

Rickets is a disease that happens in young children. It happens in children who do not get enough vitamin D and calcium. It causes larger spaces inside bones, and makes them dry, like sponges. It can make the legs curve toward each other (so the knees touch) or away from each other.

Rickets is treatable with regular, steady doses of calcium through diet or supplement, and exposure to sunshine or with vitamin D supplement.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the weakening of bones in the body. It is caused by lack of calcium deposited in the bones. This lack of calcium causes the bones to become brittle. They break easily. Side effects include limping. Some
symptoms late in the disease include pain in the bones, living in a wheelchair, and lower back pain due to spinal bone fractures.^[1] It is more likely for a woman to get osteoporosis than a man. Elderly people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than younger people. The amount of calcium in the bones decreases as a person gets older. There are three kinds of osteoporosis.