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Definition

noun

A rare hereditary congenital disorder in which the bones are becoming excessively dense, thick, and brittle, due to a deficiency or ineffective osteoclasts.

Supplement

This disorder is caused by a defect in bone resorption due to a deficiency or ineffective osteoclasts. Hence, few bones are resorbed resulting in too much bone being formed.

Associated with the conception of this term is German radiologist and surgeon, Heinrich Ernst Albers-Schönberg.

Also called: osteopetrosis, marble bone disease.
Compare: osteomalacia, osteoporosis.
See also: osteosclerosis.