[Spectrum of renal osteodystrophy]

The term "renal osteodystrophy (ROD) " had been proposed by the two Chinese physicians as the general term for the bone complications associated with the chronic renal disease patients in 1943. The pathogenesis of original ROD has been recognized as the results of the active vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Although recent advances of dialysis treatment have supported the uremic patients alive for more than 10 to 20 years. Such an unphysiological condition might deteriorate the original bone diseases, change the quality of them, or produce the new types of bone disease. Long-term administration of the drugs could also affect the bone disease. Then we have to reconsider the ROD classification. We are now meeting two types of ROD, one of them is the classical or original ROD, and the another one is the dialysis-related or drug-induced osteoarthropathy such as aluminium osteopathy, adynamic bone disease, amyloid-related osteoarthropathy as well as uncontrolled secondary hyperparathyroidism.