Osteoporosis - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Osteoporosis is a silent disease. You might not know you have it until you break a bone. A bone mineral density test is the best way to check your bone health. To keep bones strong, eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, exercise and do not smoke. If needed, medicines can also help. Osteoporosis means ‘thin bones’ characterized by thinning of bone density over time. It is a very common problem associated with aging. Bone strength depends on density (quantity ) and quality. In healthy people bone structure undergoes constant remodeling with addition and removal of matter to maintain a balance. In women, around menopause bone loss (quantity) exceeds bone formation, which leads to a negative balance resulting in thinning of bone and increased vulnerability and incidence of fractures. However, after sixty, osteoporosis is prevalent equally in both sexes.
Causes
Throughout a person’s life, bone is constantly being renewed through a process where old bone is removed and replaced with new bone. Up until the age of about 30 years old, more bone is added than is taken away, hence your bones are continuously becoming stronger. After this age, more bone is being taken away than is replaced, causing a gradual thinning of the bone.
Many factors will increase your risk of developing osteoporosis and suffering a fracture. Some of these risk factors can be changed, while others cannot. Recognizing your own risk factors is important so you can take steps to prevent this condition from developing or treat it before it becomes worse.
The strength of your bones depends on their size and density; bone density depends in part on the amount of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals bones contain. When your bones contain fewer minerals than normal, they’re less strong and eventually lose their internal supporting structure.
Symptoms
Osteoporosis itself has no specific symptoms; its main consequence is the increased risk of bone fractures. Osteoporotic fractures are those that occur in situations where healthy people would not normally break a bone; they are therefore regarded as fragility fractures. Typical fragility fractures occur in the vertebral column, rib, hip and wrist.
The osteoporosis condition can be present without any symptoms for decades, because osteoporosis doesn’t cause symptoms unless bone fractures. Some osteoporosis fractures may escape detection until years later. Therefore, patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis until they suffer a painful fracture. Then the symptoms are related to the location of the fractures.
Treatment
Estrogen replacement therapy was once the only option for osteoporosis treatment among post-menopausal women. Women using estrogen should talk with their physician about reports of potential risk for breast or uterine cancer related to estrogen therapy. In addition to estrogen therapy, a growing number of options are available. A few years ago, the FDA approved alendronate, the first non-hormonal treatment for osteoporosis.
Some 40% of women will experience a broken bone (fracture) due to osteoporosis during their lifetime. In those who have a vertebral fracture (in their back), 1 in 5 will suffer another vertebral fracture within 1 year. This condition potentially leads to more fractures. This is called a “fracture cascade.” The goal of treatment is to prevent fractures.
