Musculoskeletal Imaging

Osteopenia

a condition of bone that occurs when bone resorption exceeds bone formation from whatever cause. On radiographs this appears as increased radiolucency or "poverty of bone"; sometimes the osteopenia takes a bandlike or patchy form. Major causes of generalized osteopenia are osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hyperparathyroidism and neoplasm. It also accompanies numerous disorders (Table 1).

Osteopenia, Table 1. Some conditions associated with osteopenia.

Leukaemia
Diabetes mellitus
Juvenile chronic arthritis
Wilsons disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Plasma cell myeloma
Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease
Gauchers disease
Niemann Pick disease
Haemochromatosis
Renal osteodystrophy
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Transient osteoporosis of the hip

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