Osteoporosis ? Symptoms and Causes of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is accelerated bone loss. Normally, there is loss of bone mass with aging, perhaps 0.7% per year in adults. However, bone loss is greater in women past menopause than in men of the same age. The process of bone remodelling from resorption to matrix synthesis to mineralization normally takes about 8 months–a slow but constant process. Bone in older persons just isn’t as efficient as bone in younger persons at maintaining itself–there is decreased activity of osteoblasts and decreased production of growth factors and bone matrix.

Osteoporosis causes, diagnosis, symptoms, risk factors, prevention, and treatment. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to weaken, become brittle and more easily breakable. The osteoporosis disease process can be silent (without symptoms) for decades. It’s a harse reality that the drugs we take to treat arthritis, especially the corticosteroids, also wreak havoc on our bones.

Osteoporosis occurs when the resorption causes the bones to reach a fracture threshold (the point at which they are likely to break when subjected to a modest stress, such as falling). A fall, blow or lifting action that would not normally bruise or strain the average person can easily break one or more bones in someone with severe osteoporosis.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

Bone pain is seen less commonly than joint pain and muscle pain. The source of bone pain may be obvious, as in a fracture following an accident. Or it may be more subtle, such as cancer that spreads (metastasizes) to the bone.

Hip fractures typically occur as a result of a fall. With osteoporosis, hip fractures can occur as a result of trivial accidents. Hip fractures may also be difficult to heal after surgical repair because of poor bone quality.

An abnormally curved upper back, or dowager’s hump, develops when the bones of the upper spine (vertebrae) become thin and brittle (known as osteoporosis) and collapse on each other. Having collapsed vertebrae in any part of the spine results in a loss of height.

The appearance of the widow’s hump or a fractured wrist or hip from a fall may be the first actual symptoms of osteoporosis unless your doctor has been measuring your bone density. Men also should watch for a loss of height, change in posture or sudden back pain. There are a number of risk factors that increase a person’s likelihood of having osteoporosis.

Pain, disfigurement, and debilitation are common in the latter stages of the disease. Early spinal compression fractures may go undetected for a long time, but after a large percentage of calcium has been lost, the vertebrae in the spine start to collapse, gradually causing a stooped posture called kyphosis, or a “dowager???s hump.” Although this is usually painless, patients may lose as much as 6 inches in height.

Causes of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when an imbalance occurs between new bone formation and old bone resumption. The body may fail to form enough new bone, or too much old bone may be reabsorbed, or both.

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.

The leading cause of osteoporosis is a lack of certain hormones, particularly estrogen in women and androgen in men. Women, especially those older than 60 years, are frequently diagnosed with the disease. Menopause brings lower estrogen levels and increases a woman???s risk for osteoporosis. Other factors that may contribute to bone loss in this age group include inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, lack of weight-bearing exercise, and other age-related changes in endocrine functions (in addition to lack of estrogen).

Osteoporosis : Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.Osteoporosis is a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone micro architecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of non-collage nous proteins in bone is altered. Osteoporosis is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in women as a bone mineral density 2.5 standard deviations below peak bone mass (20-year-old healthy female average) as measured by DXA;

Risk factors of Osteoporosis
Age. The older you get, the higher your risk of osteoporosis. Your bones become weaker as you age.
Race. You’re at greatest risk of osteoporosis if you’re white or of Southeast Asian descent. Black and Hispanic men and women have a lower, but still significant, risk.

Sex. Osteoporosis is more common in women than men. Eighty percent, or four out of five, of the 10 million Americans who have it are women. There are several reasons for this. Women have lighter, thinner bones to begin with. They also lose loose bone rapidly after menopause.

The factors that may contribute to osteoporosis are not well defined. For example, studies by the U.S. National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) have shown that irregular menstrual periods in young women may signal a hormonal shortage that could lead to osteoporosis.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is often called the “silent disease”, because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a bone to fracture or a vertebra to collapse. However, there may be a chronic, dull pain particularly in the lower back or neck, which may become sharp later in the course of the disease.

Later in the course of the disease, sharp pains may come on suddenly. It may not radiate; it may be made worse by activity that puts weight on the area, may be tender, and generally begins to subside in 1 week. Pain may linger more than 3 months.

Treatment of Osteoporosis
Although osteoporosis has no cure, several types of medications are available to reduce the rate of bone loss, increase bone density, and reduce the number of fractures. In general, they work in two main ways: they lessen bone break down (anti-resorptive agents) or they stimulate the formation of new bone (anabolic agents).

Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy (HT) was once the mainstay of treatment for osteoporosis. But because of concerns about its safety and because other treatments are available, the role of hormone therapy in managing osteoporosis is changing. Most problems have been linked to certain oral types of HT, either taken in combination with progestin or alone.In addition, it is important to get enough vitamin D. A daily intake of 400 IU, but no more than 800 IU, each day is recommended. Obtaining adequate amounts of vitamin D from our food may be difficult. The main sources of dietary vitamin D are fortified milk (100 IU/cup), egg yolks (25 IU/yolk) and oily fish (vitamin D content varies).

Causes of Osteoporosis, Symptoms of Osteoporosis and Treatment

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones characterized by a decrease in bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist.

The word “osteoporosis” literally means “porous bones.” Osteoporosis (pronounced OSS-tee-o-puh-RO-sis) occurs when bones begin to lose some of their essential elements. The most important of these elements is calcium. Over time, bone mass decreases. As a result, bones lose their strength, become fragile, and break easily. In extreme cases, even a sneeze or a sudden movement may be enough to break a bone.

Osteoporosis affects millions of older adults, usually striking after 60. Although it is most commonly found in women, it is not unheard of in men. Osteoporosis can be very far along before it became noticeable. Sometimes the first sign is a broken bone in the hip, spine, or wrist after a bump or fall. As the disease gets worse, other signs may appear such as pain in the back and ultimately, a curved backbone.

Causes of Osteoporosis

The average rate of bone loss in men, and in women who have not reached menopause, is actually quite small. However, after menopause, the bone loss in women accelerates to an average of one to two percent a year. It is after menopause that the level of the female hormone estrogen in a woman?s body decreases sharply. Estrogen is a hormone that is important in protecting the skeleton by helping the body?s bone forming cells to keep working. So after menopause, this protection can be considered lost as the level of estrogen decreases.

Other causes of osteoporosis are heredity and lifestyle. Whites and Asians, tall and thin women and those with a history of osteoporosis are those at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis. The behavioral causes of increasing the risk of osteoporosis are smoking, alcohol abuse, prolonged inactivity and a diet low in calcium.

Symptoms and Treatment

Usually, osteoporosis does not cause any symptoms at first. Osteoporosis is often called the “silent” disease, because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People often don’t know they have the disease until a bone breaks, frequently in a minor fall that wouldn’t normally cause a fracture. Many people confuse osteoporosis with arthritis
and believe they can wait for symptoms such as swelling and joint pain to occur before seeing a doctor. It should be stressed that the mechanisms

Treatment for osteoporosis includes eating a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, getting regular exercise, and taking medication to reduce bone loss and increase bone thickness. It’s important to take calcium and vitamin D supplements along with any medicines you take for osteoporosis. Even small changes in diet, exercise, and medicine can help prevent spine and hip fractures. Adults who adopt healthy habits can slow the progress of osteoporosis.

Think calcium, eat calcium. Learn to love tofu, tinned sardines and salmon and dark green leafy vegetables. Dairy produce and calcium enhanced foods are good calcium replenishments for bone.