What Is Avascular Necrosis?

By kyle

Article Sources

Article Sources

• 1. Avascular necrosis. (2020, April 22). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/avascular-necrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369859
• 2. Avascular Necrosis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/avascular-necrosis
• 3. Osteonecrosis of the Hip - OrthoInfo - AAOS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/osteonecrosis-of-the-hip

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Avascular necrosis is known by several different names, including osteonecrosis¹Avascular necrosis. (2020, April 22). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/avascular-necrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369859 and aseptic necrosis.³Osteonecrosis of the Hip - OrthoInfo - AAOS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/osteonecrosis-of-the-hip Necrosis means “tissue death,” and AVN occurs when something cuts off the supply of blood to bone tissue, which often occurs at a joint. Without the oxygen from the blood, the tissue begins to die off, which can cause the bone to collapse.²Avascular Necrosis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/avascular-necrosis

Avascular necrosis most often occurs at the hip.³Osteonecrosis of the Hip - OrthoInfo - AAOS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/osteonecrosis-of-the-hip However, any bone can be affected if something occurs to disrupt its blood supply. Though asymptomatic at first, AVN can cause significant pain and complications as the collapse of the bone progresses. While there is no way to reverse the damage from osteonecrosis, it may be possible to relieve the pain and prevent further bone loss.

1. Who Is Likely To Have Avascular Necrosis?

Every year, approximately 20,000 people in the United States have to go to the hospital for treatment of avascular necrosis. For reasons that are not entirely clear, men are more likely to develop AVN than women.³Osteonecrosis of the Hip - OrthoInfo - AAOS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/osteonecrosis-of-the-hip

Compared to degenerative osteoarthritis, which tends to affect the elderly, osteonecrosis often develops in relatively young adults. Most people with AVN are between the ages of 30 and 50 when the condition is diagnosed.