Osteonecrosis Awareness Month November
April 23, 2019
To President Donald Trump, The U.S. House and The U.S. Senate
We, the patients of a rare disease called Osteonecrosis respectfully ask the United States of America in this petition to the US Congress to pass legislation to establish and recognize November as Osteonecrosis Awareness Month in the United States.
The people of the United States are called upon to observe the month of November with appropriate educational and awareness opportunities, and recognition.
Many States have approved November 29 as Avascular Necrosis Osteonecrosis Awareness Day so we are asking for a month of National Awareness.
With hundreds of thousands of US residents suffering from this disease and more being diagnosed everyday , there is a need for this community to have an active voice and recognition.
It is happening in all age groups from child to elderly
Osteonecrosis, also known as Avascular necrosis (AVN), aseptic necrosis or ischemic bone necrosis, is a disease resulting in the death of bone cells. If the process involves the bones near a joint, it often leads to collapse of the joint surface and subsequent debilitating often crippling arthritis due to an irregular joint surface.
Although it can happen in any bone, osteonecrosis most commonly affects the ends (epiphysis) of long bones such as the femur (thigh bone). Commonly involved bones are the upper femur (ball part of the hip socket) the lower femur (a part of the knee joint), the upper humerus (upper arm bone involving the shoulder joint), and the bones of ankle joint. The disease may affect just one bone, more than one bone at the same time, or more than one bone at different times.
Osteonecrosis can cause severe pain and disability. Early diagnosis and early treatment may improve the outcome.
Osteonecrosis may result from use of glucocorticoid (sometimes called corticosteroid) medicine or from drinking too much alcohol but there are many causes and also some that are unknown.
Though osteonecrosis can occur in almost any bone of the body, including jaw - the hips, knees,ankle and shoulders are the most common places hips,knees, ankle, wrist, and shoulder
The most common causes of osteonecrosis are:
Serious trauma to bone or joint (injury), which interrupts a bone’s blood supply
Corticosteroid medications (such as prednisone, cortisone or methylprednisolone), mainly when a high dose is used for a prolonged period of time
Excess alcohol consumption
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Other risk factors for osteonecrosis include:
Decompression disease (also called the “Bends” that can occur with scuba diving)
Blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) and lupus anticoagulant, factor v leiden, and others
HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS)
Radiation and Chemotherapy
Bisphosphonates, which may be linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw
Organ transplants
Osteonecrosis is not life-threatening, but it is debilitating and hurts our quality of life. Although it isn’t well-known and its exact cause is unknown, AVN-ON affects 10,000-to-20,000 Americans annually. Between 30 and 60 percent of patients will experience AVN-ON bi-laterally, which means both sides so if one hip or knee has it most likely so will the other.
Please help those of us that suffer from this condition by creating an awareness month so we can get more research , funding and studies and allowing us the recognition, as only through education, research and awareness can we get better treatment options, earlier diagnosis and hopefully prevention.
Thank You
Deborah Andio
Founder
Avascular Necrosis Osteonecrosis Support Int’l
Awareness Blog
https://avascularnecrosiseducation.com/
To President Donald Trump, The U.S. House and The U.S. Senate
We, the patients of a rare disease called Osteonecrosis respectfully ask the United States of America in this petition to the US Congress to pass legislation to establish and recognize November as Osteonecrosis Awareness Month in the United States.
The people of the United States are called upon to observe the month of November with appropriate educational and awareness opportunities, and recognition.
Many States have approved November 29 as Avascular Necrosis Osteonecrosis Awareness Day so we are asking for a month of National Awareness.
With hundreds of thousands of US residents suffering from this disease and more being diagnosed everyday , there is a need for this community to have an active voice and recognition.
It is happening in all age groups from child to elderly
Osteonecrosis, also known as Avascular necrosis (AVN), aseptic necrosis or ischemic bone necrosis, is a disease resulting in the death of bone cells. If the process involves the bones near a joint, it often leads to collapse of the joint surface and subsequent debilitating often crippling arthritis due to an irregular joint surface.
Although it can happen in any bone, osteonecrosis most commonly affects the ends (epiphysis) of long bones such as the femur (thigh bone). Commonly involved bones are the upper femur (ball part of the hip socket) the lower femur (a part of the knee joint), the upper humerus (upper arm bone involving the shoulder joint), and the bones of ankle joint. The disease may affect just one bone, more than one bone at the same time, or more than one bone at different times.
Osteonecrosis can cause severe pain and disability. Early diagnosis and early treatment may improve the outcome.
Osteonecrosis may result from use of glucocorticoid (sometimes called corticosteroid) medicine or from drinking too much alcohol but there are many causes and also some that are unknown.
Though osteonecrosis can occur in almost any bone of the body, including jaw - the hips, knees,ankle and shoulders are the most common places hips,knees, ankle, wrist, and shoulder
The most common causes of osteonecrosis are:
Serious trauma to bone or joint (injury), which interrupts a bone’s blood supply
Corticosteroid medications (such as prednisone, cortisone or methylprednisolone), mainly when a high dose is used for a prolonged period of time
Excess alcohol consumption
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Other risk factors for osteonecrosis include:
Decompression disease (also called the “Bends” that can occur with scuba diving)
Blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) and lupus anticoagulant, factor v leiden, and others
HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS)
Radiation and Chemotherapy
Bisphosphonates, which may be linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw
Organ transplants
Osteonecrosis is not life-threatening, but it is debilitating and hurts our quality of life. Although it isn’t well-known and its exact cause is unknown, AVN-ON affects 10,000-to-20,000 Americans annually. Between 30 and 60 percent of patients will experience AVN-ON bi-laterally, which means both sides so if one hip or knee has it most likely so will the other.
Please help those of us that suffer from this condition by creating an awareness month so we can get more research , funding and studies and allowing us the recognition, as only through education, research and awareness can we get better treatment options, earlier diagnosis and hopefully prevention.
Thank You
Deborah Andio
Founder
Avascular Necrosis Osteonecrosis Support Int’l
Awareness Blog
https://avascularnecrosiseducation.com/
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