All of us would do well to be at least somewhat informed about nutrition, exercise, and safety measures that work against the major threats to our well-being. Mothers and fathers benefit from learning about parenting and about child development. Each of us stands in a better position if we are informed about our own particular health problems. Dysplasia means abnormal development. Fibrous dysplasia is a disease of the bone in which the outer layers of the bone become thin, and the inner bone marrow is replaced by a gritty fibrous tissue containing sharp, needle-like fragments of bone.
Fibrous dysplasia is usually first apparent in late childhood.
Often fibrous dysplasia is discovered when a bone fractures from relatively minor trauma. Unfortunately, fractures through dysplastic bone do not heal well until the fibrous tissue is surgically removed. For many with fibrous dysplasia, the bony spicules in the marrow cause bone pain, disability, and slowly progressing deformity. Fibrous dysplasia acts like a benign bone tumor that usually continues to grow until the adolescent growth spurt is completed. Once full growth is achieved, the progression of the disease often stops, but people are left with one or more weakened areas of bone.