o Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, although any bone can be affected.
Types of Osteoporosis
o Primary Osteoporosis
o Secondary Osteoporosis
Primary Osteoporosis:
1) PMO – Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
2) Senile Osteoporosis (Age related)
3) Idiopathic Osteoporosis
o We are in the midst of a global osteoporosis epidemic. 200 million people worldwide are suffering from this condition.
o National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) findings are as follows:
-Osteoporosis related broken bones affect more women than breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer combined. One out of two women will have an Osteoporosis related bone fracture in her lifetime.
o Bone health must be considered a top priority for everyone over the age of fifty throughout the world.
o Osteoporosis is 100% preventable. Osteoporosis is 100% treatable, but Osteoporosis cannot be completely cured.
Prevention is always the best treatment, so talk to your doctor and get a BONE MINERAL DENSITY (BMD) test now to see what you need to do to keep your bones healthy, strong and beautiful.
o Our body achieves its peak bone mass (Maximum bone density and strength) by the time we are 25 and 30, it does a pretty good job by working out a precise balance between resorption (the removal of old bone) and formation (the addition of new bone).
o When a woman reaches the age of menopause her bone loss accelerates from about 3% up to 7% a year.
o Think of it this way: If you have been diagnosed with low bone mass or density, this means that your bones have less mineral per square inch than they should which is known as Osteopenia – means thinning of bones.
Symptoms
o Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because bone loss occurs without symptoms. Women may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse. Collapsed vertebrae may initially be felt or seen in the form of severe back pain, loss of height, or spinal deformities such as kyphosis or stooped posture.
Risk Factors
Body – type risk factor
o Tall, thin, fair-skinned women have a high risk of developing Osteoporosis.
Weight risk factor
o Sudden weight loss after menopause (More than 10% of your body weight) can double your chances of developing Osteoporosis.
o If you need to lose weight after menopause, do it slowly and under the care of your doctor.
Risk factors you can change
o DXA testing
o Lack of exercise
o Smoking
o Alcohol
o Caffeine
o Low calcium and Vitamin D
o Low body weight
o Certain medications
Detection
o Specialized tests called bone mineral density (BMD) tests can measure bone density in various sites of the body. A BMD test can:
o Detect Cal20 before a fracture occurs
o Predict chances of fracturing in the future
o Determine rate of bone loss and/or monitor the effects of treatment if a DXA BMD test is conducted at intervals of one year or more.
Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
o Affects only women associated with the loss of estrogen, that occurs after menopause.
o Affects trabecular (porous, spongy) bones of 1. Wrist 2. Spine
Hormone Replacement Therapy: Yes , No or Maybe.
o Especially estrogen, to postmenopausal women, which decreases dramatically after menopause.
o ERT = Estrogen Replacement Therapy
o When estrogen is combined with progesterone it is generally called Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Postmenopausal
Age: 50 to 75
Type of bone loss: Trabecular
Site of fracture: Wrist and spine
Rate of bone loss: Accelerated
Calcium absorption: Decreased
OSTEOPOROSIS
o Metabolic bone degeneration (Osteoporosis) affects millions of people and is directly responsible for debilitating hip, vertebral and limb fractures in the elderly.
o The magnitude of the Osteoporosis problem has been realized in recent years; and the value of early detection and therapeutic intervention has become clear.