| Osteoporosis is accelerated bone loss. Normally, there | | | | collapsed vertebrae in any part of the spine results in |
| is loss of bone mass with aging, perhaps 0.7% per | | | | a loss of height. |
| year in adults. However, bone loss is greater in | | | | The appearance of the widow's hump or a fractured |
| women past menopause than in men of the same | | | | wrist or hip from a fall may be the first actual |
| age. The process of bone remodelling from | | | | symptoms of osteoporosis unless your doctor has |
| resorption to matrix synthesis to mineralization | | | | been measuring your bone density. Men also should |
| normally takes about 8 months--a slow but constant | | | | watch for a loss of height, change in posture or |
| process. Bone in older persons just isn't as efficient | | | | sudden back pain. There are a number of risk factors |
| as bone in younger persons at maintaining | | | | that increase a person's likelihood of having |
| itself--there is decreased activity of osteoblasts and | | | | osteoporosis. |
| decreased production of growth factors and bone | | | | Pain, disfigurement, and debilitation are common in the |
| matrix. | | | | latter stages of the disease. Early spinal compression |
| Osteoporosis causes, diagnosis, symptoms, risk | | | | fractures may go undetected for a long time, but |
| factors, prevention, and treatment. Osteoporosis is a | | | | after a large percentage of calcium has been lost, the |
| disease that causes bones to weaken, become brittle | | | | vertebrae in the spine start to collapse, gradually |
| and more easily breakable. The osteoporosis disease | | | | causing a stooped posture called kyphosis, or a |
| process can be silent (without symptoms) for | | | | "dowager’s hump." Although this is usually |
| decades. It's a harse reality that the drugs we take | | | | painless, patients may lose as much as 6 inches in |
| to treat arthritis, especially the corticosteroids, also | | | | height. |
| wreak havoc on our bones. | | | | Causes of Osteoporosis |
| Osteoporosis occurs when the resorption causes the | | | | Osteoporosis occurs when an imbalance occurs |
| bones to reach a fracture threshold (the point at | | | | between new bone formation and old bone |
| which they are likely to break when subjected to a | | | | resumption. The body may fail to form enough new |
| modest stress, such as falling). A fall, blow or lifting | | | | bone, or too much old bone may be reabsorbed, or |
| action that would not normally bruise or strain the | | | | both. |
| average person can easily break one or more bones | | | | The strength of your bones depends on their size |
| in someone with severe osteoporosis. | | | | and density; bone density depends in part on the |
| Symptoms of Osteoporosis | | | | amount of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals |
| Bone pain is seen less commonly than joint pain and | | | | bones contain. When your bones contain fewer |
| muscle pain. The source of bone pain may be | | | | minerals than normal, they're less strong and |
| obvious, as in a fracture following an accident. Or it | | | | eventually lose their internal supporting structure. |
| may be more subtle, such as cancer that spreads | | | | The leading cause of osteoporosis is a lack of certain |
| (metastasizes) to the bone. | | | | hormones, particularly estrogen in women and |
| Hip fractures typically occur as a result of a fall. With | | | | androgen in men. Women, especially those older than |
| osteoporosis, hip fractures can occur as a result of | | | | 60 years, are frequently diagnosed with the disease. |
| trivial accidents. Hip fractures may also be difficult to | | | | Menopause brings lower estrogen levels and increases |
| heal after surgical repair because of poor bone | | | | a woman’s risk for osteoporosis. Other factors |
| quality. | | | | that may contribute to bone loss in this age group |
| An abnormally curved upper back, or dowager's | | | | include inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, |
| hump, develops when the bones of the upper spine | | | | lack of weight-bearing exercise, and other age-related |
| (vertebrae) become thin and brittle (known as | | | | changes in endocrine functions (in addition to lack of |
| osteoporosis) and collapse on each other. Having | | | | estrogen). |