Causes & Risk Factors Of Osteopetrosis

Affected Populations

Osteopetrosis is a rare condition altogether, but when it does occur it can affect anyone at any age. Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis statistically occurs in one out of twenty thousand individuals. Autosomal recessive osteopetrosis occurs in around one out of 250,000 births. The other types are scarce. In general, affected populations of osteopetrosis is tiny.

Men may have a higher chance of getting the autosomal recessive type and the X-linked recessive type, but overall men and women are equally affected by osteopetrosis. There is no cure for the disease, but if it is caught in early stages, it can sometimes be treated, so a person's quality of life isn't severely affected.