Osteoporosis is basically a Greek term used to denote a disease of bones that lead to the risk of fractures. It is the most common type of bone disease that involves the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. During the stage of osteoporosis the mineral also termed as bone mineral density or BMD gets reduced while weakening and distorting the bone microarchitecture as well as the amount of proteins in the bones. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Osteoporosis is classified into three categories namely, primary type 1, primary type 2 and secondary. Primary type 1 also termed as postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common form in women after menopause. On the other hand the primary type 2 osteoporosis or senile osteoporosis seems to occur in both females and males and it mainly appears to happen after the age of 75. Finally, the secondary osteoporosis tends to occurs at any age and can affect both men and women equally and this condition further end up resulting into chronic predisposing medical problems and disease.
Though there are several risk factors involved with the Osteoporosis situations, but they can actually be reduced with several ways like change in the lifestyle, medication, etc. Change in lifestyle includes factors like maintaining healthy eating habits, regular exercise and preventing falls. Alternatively, medication involves intake of good amount of highly rich nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, protein and several others. Additionally, researchers have estimated that 1 out of 5 American women over the age of 50 suffer from the condition of osteoporosis. Almost half of all the women over the age of 50 will have to bear from the fracture in the bones, especially on the hip area, wrist, or vertebra.
What is osteoporosis?
In general terms, osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones get thin and weak, while increasing the chances of getting fractured. Often this condition goes undiagnosed as there are no strict warning signs. The situation of Osteoporosis is a disease determined by the low bone mass as well as deterioration of bone tissue and this further leads to increase in the bone fragility and broken bones. Additionally, Osteoporosis is typically known as the silent thief this condition occurs without any sings or symptoms.
Osteoporosis Symptoms:
Osteoporosis is a situation that leads to fracture in the bones. Though, the osteoporosis symptoms develop slowly over several years, but are likely to occur without any warning signs. When the bones are weakened or there is a low bone mass, fracture in the wrist, hip or spinal bones become most common in women. In fact, a little sneeze or a cough during the osteoporosis leads to the fracture of a rib or a partial collapse in the vertebrates. In spite of all the conceptions there is one visible sign of osteoporosis is the forward stooping position that can mostly be found in older people. This situation occurs when the bones in the spine are fractured thereby making it difficult or support the overall body weight. Given below are some of the major symptoms of Osteoporosis.
- Back pain and collapsed vertebra
- Loss of height
- A forward stooped posture
- Fracture of the vertebra, wrist, hip bone
Causes of Osteoporosis:
The most common question that people fails to find answer is what causes Osteoporosis. In fact, the question to this answer has not even scientifically achieved, but scientists do know that in this the normal bone remodeling process is disrupted. No doubt, the bones in our body changes continuously, new bones are created while the old bones are broken down. The overall procedure of bone alternation inside the body is called remodeling or bone turnover. During the infantile age, our body quickly make new bone while breaking down the old bone and increasing the bone mass density. At the age of 30 you reach to the peak bone mass. After that the bone remodeling continues but at the slightly slow phase.
However, the development of osteoporosis situation totally depends on the amount of bone mass that you attained in your 20s and early 30s. Also, it depends on the factor of how quickly you lose it later. Remember, the higher the peak bone mass, the more bone you have and this will further result in lower osteoporosis stage. Of course, the strength of your bones depends on the size and the density, but also it depends on the amount of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals. It is because taking good amount of nutrition and nutritious eatables can lead you to have strong bones and eventually provide powerful internal supporting structure.
Some of the other factors like hormone levels also affect the bone density. In fact, in women when the level of estrogen decreases during menopause then the bone loss increases dramatically. While in men, decrease in the estrogen and testosterone levels can cause a loss of bone mass. Though, it is observed that causes of Osteoporosis affect men and women equally, but it is more common in older people and sometimes it can affect younger people too.
Osteoporosis in Women:
It has been noticed that women tends to face and are at the greater risk of developing osteoporosis than men. This situation occurs due to the changes in the hormone levels that can largely affect the bone density. No wonder, the hormone present in the female known as oestrogen is considered extremely essential for healthy bones. But, after the menopause, the oestrogen level in the women’s body falls and this lead to a rapid decrease in bone density. Most probably women appear to face the risk of developing osteoporosis during the stage of:
- Early menopause, i.e. before the age of 45.
- Before their 40s when the ovaries are also removed.
- At the time of absent of periods for a long time, particularly more than six months.
Osteoporosis in Men:
In most of the men, the cause and development of osteoporosis condition is unknown. However, one of the most common causes of osteoporosis is directly connected to the male hormone testosterone. It is the most specific factor in men that helps to keep their bones healthy. Although, men’s continue to produce this hormone till their old age, but the impact of osteoporosis is increased in individuals having low levels of testosterone.
Osteoporosis risk factors:
As described above, Osteoporosis is a situation of the disorder of the bones in human body in which the strength of the bone is unusually weak. This is the major factor that leads to the greater risk of breaking bones or bone fracture. According to the static, in U.S.A almost 10 million of people suffer from the problem of osteoporosis of the hip and 19 million have low hip bone density. In fact, 1 out of two white women will actually be experiencing a bone fracture due to the osteoporosis in her lifetime. It has also been stated that with the aging, density of Americans suffering from osteoporosis related fractures will increase exponentially. Here are some of the reasons that increase the Osteoporosis risk factors in people. They are:
Traditions: It has been observed that adults from all the ethnic groups are likely to develop the condition of osteoporosis, but women and men particularly ‘Asian’ appears to suffer from comparatively greater risk of Osteoporosis.
Body Type: People who are small and have thin body and bone structure likely to face the condition of osteoporosis.
Gender: In U.S.A almost 10 millions of adults suffer from osteoporosis, while the remaining have low bone mass which can further lead to the risk for developing osteoporosis. Out of the whole percentile 70 percent of people facing osteoporosis are women in comparison to that of men.
Family History: Family history is the most common osteoporosis risk factor found in people. Mostly people whose parents had a history of fractures are more likely to have fractures.
Hormonal Deficiencies: This factor of osteoporosis condition can probably be found in both men and women.
In Women: The lack of estrogen levels are the primary osteoporosis risk factors in women. These include:
- Menopause
- Missing of vaginal discharge
- Excessive low of body weight
- Surgical removal of ovaries
In Men: In men it has been found that low levels of testosterone increase the osteoporosis risk factors. The deficiency of testosterone is certainly cause by some medical conditions and treatments.
Dietary Factors: No doubt, good and healthy diet is an important factor that plays an important role in preventing and speeding up bone loss in both men as well as women. The deficiency of calcium and vitamin D are considered as the important factors in the risk for osteoporosis. So, it is important to maintain a proper eating diet plan with full of nutritious foodstuffs to get rid of such condition.
Medications: Though medication is the best source to cut off the cause of osteoporosis, but still there are some medications that can develop the risk of Osteoporosis situation. Therefore, consult a skilled professional that can guide you properly in this context.
Osteoporosis exercises:
Exercise is almost essential for every age group in order to maintain a healthy bones and body. As a child and young adult, it is important to make a routine of exercising regularly so as to adopt the best habit while sustaining strong bones. During your phase as a child, exercising daily can probably help maximize your bone production, most of which will occur later by the age of 35. So, if you maintain the habit of exercising regularly in your middle age, then you probably help reduce the risk of developing the situation of osteoporosis. In fact, you can still start up with a bone-healthy exercise if you already suffer from the osteoporosis.
However, there are some people who consider exercise as an increasing factor and risk of injury from broken bones, but this is not at all true. A regular and properly designed exercise will actually help prevent you from the risk of fall-related fractures that often result in the disability and premature death. It is because exercise is the best way to strengthen the bones and muscles. It help improves the balance and flexibility of your bones mass which is extremely important for older adults and osteoporosis people. As per the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the most important and the best exercises for building and maintaining bone density are:
- Weight bearing exercise which includes walking, running.
- Muscle strengthening exercise such as weight lifting
- Posture exercises like sitting and standing properly
Benefits of exercise for people with osteoporosis:
Some of the static states that inactive lifestyle, poor balance, improper eating habits, poor and weak muscles increase the risk of fractures. Therefore, a person dealing with the problem of osteoporosis can improve their health by exercising regularly and improving their lifestyle in valuable ways through:
- Increased mobility
- Reducing the risk of fractures
- Improving the physical fitness
- Decreased pain
- Maintaining a better balance
- Excellent energy level
Professional advice:
Though regular exercise is considered extremely crucial for any osteoporosis treatment program, but in order to get the efficient result it is important to consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Looking for the guidance of skilled and trained Physiotherapists and other exercise expertise can help you out to a great extent.
Make sure to begin with a low level exercise progress slowly. Keep in mind performing exercise which is too strong and too quickly can run you to the risk of injury including fractures. So, consult a doctor or dietician in order to find out the efficient methods to increase the amount of calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients in your diet, while avoiding the osteoporosis condition. Also, ensure do not to smoke and drink excessive alcohol, which is hazardous for the bones.
Osteoporosis treatments
Several medications are there which is used for the osteoporosis treatments, depending on the gender. Described below are some of the common treatments for osteoporosis.
Bisphosphonates: It is the main pharmacological measures for osteoporosis treatment. In context with the osteoporosis, it is said that bisphosphonate drugs are the first-line treatment in women. Sodium alendronate, risedronate and ibandronate (Boniva) are the most prescribed bisphosphonates used today.
Teriparatide: At the current phase, teriparatide has been considered to be most effective in osteoporosis. Basically, it acts like a parathyroid hormone which stimulates osteoblasts while increasing their activity. Mostly it is used for those patients suffering from osteoporosis with low BMD.
Sodium fluoride: The treatment of sodium fluoride in patients with osteoporosis has been observed to provide the cause of bones changes while increasing the bone density and thickness of trabeculae.
Calcium: Calcium is considered important that support bone growth, bone healing and maintain the bone strength, and is also one of the major aspects of treatment for osteoporosis. However, recommendations for intake of calcium may differ from person to person.
Some of the other additional benefits for osteoporosis patients include improvement in balance, lifestyle, habits and reduction in risk of falls.