osteodystrophy

9.9

Bones become weak and do not grow properly because of kidney disease or calcium and phosphorus problems

noun
/ˌɑːstiəʊˈdɪstrəfi/

Specialized

: osteodistrofia

Patients with osteodystrophy may experience bone pain due to mineral imbalances caused by kidney disease.

Examples

Doctors often use X-rays to diagnose osteodystrophy, which can indicate problems with bone development.
After the diagnosis of osteodystrophy, the doctor recommended a diet rich in calcium and phosphorus.
- I have osteodystrophy.

Who's Driving Doug (2016)

Surface Forms

osteodystrophy singular

osteodystrophies plural

Morphology

osteodystrophy = dystrophy (semi-transparent) = osteo + dystrophy + osteo

The formation is regular (osteo- 'bone' + dystrophy), but both components are specialized medical forms unlikely to be known to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Osteodystrophy comes from three Greek parts: osteo- meaning 'bone', dys- meaning 'bad' or 'difficult', and -trophy meaning 'growth' or 'nourishment'. So osteodystrophy means 'bad growth of bone', which explains why the word is used for defective bone development.