Some people with fibrous dysplasia may not know they have the disorder at all, only finding out when getting an X-ray for a completely unrelated issue. Fibrous dysplasia lesions have a very distinctive “ground glass” appearance that makes them relatively easy to spot on an X-ray. These patients may never show fibrous dysplasia symptoms at all, or their symptoms may increase over time.
Other patients may experience a wide range of fibrous dysplasia symptoms, including:
- Bone pain
- Bone deformity
- Fractures
Over time, these symptoms can often lead to other problems such as a limp or waddling walk caused by different leg lengths, or scoliosis (a curvature of the spine). If the face or skull bones are affected, fibrous dysplasia can lead to hearing or vision problems or chronic sinus congestion.
Monostotic vs Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia Symptoms
Just like its symptoms, fibrous dysplasia’s effect on bones can be wide-ranging. A person with monostotic fibrous dysplasia only has a single bone affected. This is the most common form of fibrous dysplasia. Patients with monostotic fibrous dysplasia often do not show any symptoms at all and will not develop polyostotic FD.
In a patient with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, more than one bone in the body is affected. Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia may affect as few as two bones, but also may affect up to all of a patient’s skeleton.