Metabolic Bone Disease

Metabolic bone disease can be congenital or acquired, most often from poor nutrition. There are different forms of the metabolic bone disease, which include:

• Abnormal bone formation and growth
• Vitamin D disorder
• Brittle bones (osteogenesis imperfecta)
• Rickets

Rickets is a more common form of metabolic bone disease that develops when a child does not have enough calcium or phosphate for bones to grow and be normally strong. It can cause softer bones, which can lead to bowed legs, widened wrists, and fontanels that don’t close.

Treatments include:

• Proper nutrition to replace lost nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, phosphate, bisphosphonates, calcitonin
• Physical activity to keep bones strong  
• Replacement therapy for growth and sex hormones
• Thiazides, a diuretic medicine used to increase bone density