Avascular Necrosis

Avascular necrosis is the death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply. Also called osteonecrosis, avascular necrosis can lead to tiny breaks in the bone and the bone's eventual collapse. The blood flow to a section of bone can be interrupted if the bone is fractured or the joint becomes dislocated. Avascular necrosis typically causes no symptoms; however, as the disease progresses it becomes painful.

At first, you may experience pain when you put pressure on the affected bone. Then, pain may become more constant. If the disease progresses and the bone and surrounding joint collapse, you may experience severe pain that interferes with your ability to use your joint. The time between the first symptoms and collapse of the bone may range from several months to more than a year. If avascular necrosis is caught early, treatment may involve taking medications to relieve pain or limiting the use of the affected area.

If your hip, knee, or ankle is affected, crutches may be necessary to take weight off the damaged joint. Your doctor may also recommend range of motion exercises to help keep the affected joint mobile. It is also associated with Osteoarthritis and Knee injuries. "The prevalence of symptomatic knee, hand and hip OA in individuals 40 years of age or older in the Bayrakh district of Izmir was 20.9%, 2.8% and 1.0%, respectively.

Knee and hand OA prevalence was significantly higher in women (p<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in hip OA prevalence between the two genders. In a Greek cross-sectional study of 8,740 subjects aged 19 or older (mean age: 46.95±17.74 years), SKO prevalence was reported at 6%. SKO prevalence was reported as 29.8% in a study based on ACR criteria in Dicomano, Italy of 697 individuals aged 65 or older. According to a statistical analysis there are Extrapolated Incidence of Avascular Necrosis is 2134 in Italy."