Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is an uncommon bone disease that can affect any bone in the body. The severity of the disease covers a wide spectrum. It can affect a single bone and go unnoticed for years, or it can affect virtually every bone, start very early in life, and result in significant physical impairment. It is caused by defective gene in the cells that form bone. The cause of the gene defect is unknown, but the defect is neither inherited from the person's parents, nor passed on to the person's children. When the long bones (the bones of the legs and arms) or flat bones (ribs and pelvis) are affected, the bones weaken, may bow, are often painful, and will frequently fracture. Affected bones in the skull often expand, may cause disfigurement and, again, are often painful. At present there are no approved medical therapies. Surgery is sometimes recommended for severe complications.
Fibrous Dysplasia Foundation - http://fibrousdysplasia.org/
The Paget Foundation for Paget's Disease of Bone and Related Disorders - http://www.paget.org
