Osteoporosis

1
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease that
leads to low bone density, it develops when the
body breaks down more bone tissue than it could
replace. Bones become very weak and brittle that
even a mild stress such as coughing can cause a
fracture. The fractures mostly occur in the hip,
wrist or spine. Osteoporosis can affect both men
and women, but it is most commonly found in women
especially after menopause, this is because of
drastic decrease in ovaries production of the
hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is
the hormone that mainly protects against
osteoporosis. Causes and risk factors Osteoporosi
s means porous bone, a healthy bone looks like a
honeycomb. At young age your body will make new
bone very faster than it breaks down old bone due
to which your body mass increases. When
osteoporosis disease occurs, these honeycomb
holes on the bone becomes larger than the
healthier bone, because of this, the bones will
lose the density and contain abnormal tissue
structure. When these bones become less dense
they will be weak and are more likely to
break. Risk factors Age Osteoporosis affects
all age groups, but it is more for older people
than younger people. It is not that every older
person gets this disease, but it is comes more
common with age. Reduced sex hormones when
estrogen hormone level drops after menopause,
bone loss increases. The same happens, when your
ovaries are removed because your ovaries produce
most of the bodys estrogen. Ethnicity This
disease is more common in white people and Asians.
2
Bone structure both men and women who are thin
or small body structure have more tendencies to
get osteoporosis because of less bone
mass. Genetic factors Having a close family
member with a hip fracture makes osteoporosis
more likely for you. If you have any family
member who had a height loss or a spine that
curved forward, they might have had broken bones
in their spine. Fracture history if any member
of your family had a low level injury or
fracture, especially after the age of 50 years
may have osteoporosis. Smoking, inactive
lifestyle, poor diet, heavy alcohol consumption
are linked to bone loss and a risk of
fractures. Thyroid problems this can occur if
you have a overactive thyroid and also due to the
medication taken to control the underactive
thyroid. Long term use of steroids and other
medication The risk is higher among people who
have certain medical problems like celiac
disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or
liver disease, cancer, lupus, multiple myeloma,
rheumatoid arthritis.
Risk factors which can be changed and
controlled Eating disorders, such as
anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Smoking
Intake of excessive alcohol Deficiency of
calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D, due to dietary
factors, malabsorption problems, or the use of
some medications. Inactivity So being active
and exercising will help to revise osteoporosis.
It will give stress to the bones and promotes new
bone growth.
Signs and symptoms Loss of bone mass doesnt
happen all of sudden. It is not noticeable by the
people until they have pain, loss of function or
fracture. The pain of osteoporosis is similar to
arthritis so people get confused with the
symptoms.
3
Back pain often caused because of fracture
or collapsed vertebra. Gradual loss of
height Curved spinal code. Stiff and
painful joints Bone breaks much easy than
expected, after a minor injury.
Tests and diagnosis A doctor will consider the
patient's family medical history and their risk
aspects. If doctor has any doubt of osteoporosis,
they will request an examination, to measure bone
mineral density (BMD). Its a machine that uses
low levels of X-rays to find the proportion of
mineral in your bones. It is a painless test
where the scanner passes over your body usually
few bones are checked mostly in the hip and
spine. Other tests If the patient is losing the
height or who has back pain that is not related
to another condition then a lateral vertebral
assessment (LVA) will be suggested. An ultrasound
scan of the heel bone is an alternative way to
evaluate for osteoporosis. It can be carried out
in the primary care setting. False positives are
very frequent.
Treatment for osteoporosis Treatment aims to
slow or prevent the development of osteoporosis
and maintain healthy bone mineral density and
bone mass to prevent fractures in next 10 years.
The medications are given to reduce pain and
increase the person's ability to continue with
their daily life. This is done through few
lifestyle changes, taking supplements and some
drugs. These drugs reduce the new bone damage and
promote healing.
Drugs given for bone boosting
4
Drugs given to prevent and treat osteoporosis
include Bisphosphonates this drug is given to
block the cells that destroy bone and also helps
in building bone density. There will be few side
effects like nausea, abdominal pain, and
heartburn like symptoms. Intravenous form of
medicines does not cause stomach pain but can
cause fever, headache, muscle aches for up to
three days. These injections are taken 3 to 4
times a year. SERMS - Estrogen agonists or
antagonists, also known as selective
estrogen-receptor modulators, SERMS), for
example, raloxifene These can reduce the risk of
spine fractures in women after menopause. Calciton
in This helps avert spinal fracture in
postmenopausal women, and it can help manage pain
if a fracture occurs. Parathyroid hormone, for
example, teriparatide- this is approved for
people with a high risk of fracture, as it
stimulates new bone formation. Its is taken
daily by injection for two years, after that
another osteoporosis drug is taken to maintain
the new bone growth. Prolia is an antibody
produced in the lab that slows the breakdown of
the bone. This injection is given twice a year,
it is given to the postmenopausal women who are
unable to tolerate other osteoporosis drugs and
are at high risk of fractures and also who did
not have any benefit with other drugs. RANK
ligand (RANKL) inhibitors, such as denosumab
This is an immune therapy and a new type of
osteoporosis treatment which prevents key
proteins in the body from breaking down bone
cells. This will help in increasing bone
density. Prevention Certain alterations to
lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of
osteoporosis such as eating Calcium rich foods
like fish, milk, leafy vegetables provide
magnesium, which helps to maintain good bone
quality. Consume foods which have vitamin C and D.
5
Some foods are harmful to the body and can reduce
the calcium in the body. So, reduce salty foods,
caffeine may decrease your bodys absorption of
calcium. This is only for people who consume
coffee too many times a day. Avoid alcohol as it
leads to bone loss. Instead try to drink vitamin
D fortified milk, orange juice, cereals yogurt
and cheese to get calcium. Older people need more
calcium so you can take supplements for healthy
bones. Consult your doctor for this. Bone bearing
exercises will help you to maintain healthy
bones. Exercises such as walking, jogging,
swimming, other activities will help. Maintain a
healthy weight by balanced diet.
The time period to cure Medications can only
help to strengthen the bones and slow down the
disease that can prevent bone fractures but it
cannot be cured completely. Conclusion Osteoporos
is is a very common health issue that upsets
everyone. The person should not wait until it
breaks into their routine before taking action
it is never too early or too late to start taking
care of the bones health. In fact you should be
active to overcome the disease and strengthen
your bones. So get out and walk