National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Osteopetrosis autosomal dominant type 2



Other Names:
OPTA2; Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type 2; Albers-Schönberg osteopetrosis
Categories:

Osteopetrosis refers to a group of rare, inherited skeletal disorders characterized by increased bone density and abnormal bone growth.[1][2] Symptoms and severity can vary greatly, ranging from neonatal onset with life-threatening complications (such as bone marrow failure) to the incidental finding of osteopetrosis on X-ray. Depending on severity and age of onset, features may include fractures, short stature, compressive neuropathies (pressure on the nerves), hypocalcemia with attendant tetanic seizures, and life-threatening pancytopenia. In rare cases, there may be neurological impairment or involvement of other body systems.[1] Osteopetrosis may be caused by mutations in at least 10 genes. Inheritance can be autosomal recessiveautosomal dominant, or X-linked recessive with the most severe forms being autosomal recessive. Management depends on the specific symptoms and severity and may include vitamin D supplements, various medications, and/or surgery. Adult osteopetrosis requires no treatment by itself, but complications may require intervention.[3]
Last updated: 7/20/2016

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of epiphysis morphology
Abnormal shape of end part of bone
0005930
Abnormality of the metacarpal bones
Abnormality of the long bone of hand
0001163
Abnormality of the metaphysis
Abnormality of the wide portion of a long bone
0000944
Avascular necrosis
Death of bone due to decreased blood supply
0010885
Bone pain 0002653
Facial palsy
Bell's palsy
0010628
Frontal bossing 0002007
Generalized osteosclerosis 0005789
Joint dislocation
Joint dislocations
Recurrent joint dislocations
[ more ]
0001373
Macrocephaly
Increased size of skull
Large head
Large head circumference
[ more ]
0000256
Mandibular osteomyelitis
Lower jaw bone infection
0007626
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative joint disease
0002758
Recurrent fractures
Increased fracture rate
Increased fractures
Multiple fractures
Multiple spontaneous fractures
Varying degree of multiple fractures
[ more ]
0002757
Short distal phalanx of finger
Short outermost finger bone
0009882
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Anemia
Low number of red blood cells or hemoglobin
0001903
Genu valgum
Knock knees
0002857
Optic atrophy 0000648
Short stature
Decreased body height
Small stature
[ more ]
0004322
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal leukocyte morphology 0001881
Blindness 0000618
Bone marrow hypocellularity
Bone marrow failure
0005528
Carious teeth
Dental cavities
Tooth cavities
Tooth decay
[ more ]
0000670
Hearing impairment
Deafness
Hearing defect
[ more ]
0000365
Hydrocephalus
Too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain
0000238
Hypocalcemia
Low blood calcium levels
0002901
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of pelvic girdle bone morphology
Abnormal shape of pelvic girdle bone
0002644
Abnormality of the vertebral endplates 0005106
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Elevated serum acid phosphatase
Acid phosphatase elevated
0003148
Facial paralysis 0007209
Fractures of the long bones 0003084
Hip osteoarthritis 0008843
Juvenile onset
Signs and symptoms begin before 15 years of age
0003621
Osteopetrosis
Harder, denser, fracture-prone bones
0011002
Visual loss
Loss of vision
Vision loss
[ more ]
0000572
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

FDA-Approved Treatments

The medication(s) listed below have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as orphan products for treatment of this condition. Learn more orphan products.


If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnosis includes other subtypes of osteopetrosis, fluorosis, beryllium, lead and bismuth poisoning, myelofibrosis, Paget's disease (sclerosing form) and malignancies (lymphoma, osteoblastic cancer metastases) (see these terms).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Osteopetrosis autosomal dominant type 2. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • MeSH® (Medical Subject Headings) is a terminology tool used by the National Library of Medicine. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Osteopetrosis autosomal dominant type 2. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Zornitza Stark and Ravi Savarirayan. Osteopetrosis. Orphanet. October, 2012; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=en&Expert=2781.
  2. David D. Sherry Frank Pessler. Osteopetroses. Merck Manual. 2016; http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/children-s-health-issues/bone-disorders-in-children/osteopetroses.
  3. Robert Blank. Osteopetrosis. Medscape Reference. December 17, 2014; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/123968-overview.