Osteoporosis can be prevented

Osteoporosis is a occurs due to decrease in the density of bone, decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones. Osteoporosis leads to abnormally porous bone that is compressible, like a sponge. This weakens the bone and results in frequent fractures (breaks) in the bones.

Normal bone is composed of protein, collagen, and calcium, all of which give bone its strength. Bones that are affected by osteoporosis can break (fracture) with relatively minor injury that normally would not cause a bone to fracture. The fracture can be either in the form of cracking (as in a hip fracture) or collapsing (as in a compression fracture of the vertebrae of the spine). The spine, hips, ribs, and wrists are common areas of bone fractures from osteoporosis although osteoporosis-related fractures can occur in almost any skeletal bone.

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Factors that will help developing osteoporosis:
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• Family history of osteoporosis
  
• Thin and small body frame
  
• Caucasian or Asian race
  
• Thin and small body frame
  
• Personal history of fracture as an adult
  
• Smoking Cigarette
  
• Alcohol consumption
  
• Lack of exercise
  
• Diet low in calcium
  
• Poor nutrition and poor general health, especially associated with chronic inflammation or bowel disease
  
• Gastrointestinal disorder
  
• Early menopause or with early surgical removal of both ovaries
  
• Low testosterone levels in men
  
• Chemotherapy that can cause early menopause due to its toxic effects on the ovaries
  
• Chronic inflammation, due to chronic inflammatory arthritis or diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or liver diseases
  
• Immobility, such as after a stroke, or from any condition that interferes with walking
  
• Hyperthyroidism, a condition wherein too much thyroid hormone is produced by the thyroid gland
  
• When vitamin D is lacking, the body cannot absorb adequate amounts of calcium from the diet to prevent osteoporosis.
  
• Certain medications can cause osteoporosis.
  

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Symptoms and signs
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Osteoporosis can be present without any symptoms for decades because osteoporosis doesn't cause symptoms until bone breaks (fractures). Moreover, some osteoporotic fractures may escape detection for years when they do not cause symptoms. Therefore, patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis until they suffer a painful fracture. The symptom associated with osteoporotic fractures usually is pain; the location of the pain depends on the location of the fracture. The symptoms of osteoporosis in men are similar to the symptoms of osteoporosis in women.

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Osteoporosis consequences
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• Osteoporotic bone fractures are responsible for considerable pain, decreased quality of life, lost workdays, and disability.
  
• Up to 30% of patients suffering a hip fracture will require long-term nursing-home care. Elderly patients can develop pneumonia and blood clots in the leg veins that can travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) due to prolonged bed rest after the hip fracture.
  
• Osteoporosis has even been linked with an increased risk of death. Some 20% of women with a hip fracture will die in the subsequent year as an indirect result of the fracture.
  
• In addition, once a person has experienced a spine fracture due to osteoporosis, he or she is at very high risk of suffering another such fracture in the near future (next few years).
  
• About 20% of postmenopausal women who experience a vertebral fracture will suffer a new vertebral fracture of bone in the following year.
  

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How to determine bone strength
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Bone mass (bone density) is determined by the amount of bone present in the skeletal structure. Generally, the higher the bone density, the stronger the bones. Bone density is greatly influenced by genetic factors, which in turn are sometimes modified by environmental factors and medications.

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Person should go for bone density testing
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• All postmenopausal women below age 65 who have risk factors for osteoporosis
  
• All women aged 65 and older
  
• Postmenopausal women with fractures, although this is not mandatory because treatment may well be started regardless of bone density
  
• Women with any of more than 50 medical conditions associated with osteoporosis; a primary care physician can scan a patient's list of medical illnesses to determine if one of these conditions is present (see causes above)
  
• Women whose decision to begin treatment for osteoporosis might be aided by bone density testing to determine the presence or absence of osteoporosis or osteopenia
  

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Treatment for osteoporosis
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Although early detection and timely treatment of osteoporosis can substantially decrease the risk of future fractures, none of the available treatments for osteoporosis are complete cures. Therefore, prevention of osteoporosis is as important as treatment.

• Quitting cigarette smoking
  
• Curtailing excessive alcohol intake
  
• Exercising regularly
  
• Consuming a balanced diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D
  
• Medications that stop bone loss and increase bone strength
  

The outlook for patients with osteoporosis depends greatly on where fractures occur. Additionally, if treatment is begun when the bone disease is detected early, the outcome is better. Get the expert consultation before going for treatment.

Book an appointment:

Dr Jayini P Rammohen
Consultant Orthopedics, Sports Medicine Specialist and Joint Replacement Surgeon

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Dr Anand V Agroya
Consultant Orthopedics & Trauma Surgeon, Specialist in Joint Replacement