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Osteoporosis: Symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention

Have you heard of porous or brittle bones? Do you know any person who is elderly and has had fractures frequently? 

Well! that can be due to a medical condition of bones, Osteoporosis. Let us know more about the signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors that contribute to it and the treatment approaches. 

Osteoporosis@ health matters

What is osteoporosis? 

Osteoporosis is a bone disorder that makes the bone go porous due to the changes in the structure of the bones. These changes result from the decreased mineral density and decreased bone mass.  When the bones become porous, they are just like hollow things and thus tend to break more easily causing bone fractures.

It is commonly seen as we age and in both gender; elder women are more affected. The slightest stress such as bending a little or hard coughing or excessive jerk can cause to break a bone in the body. 

Which bones in our body can be affected with osteoporosis? 

Osteoporosis can happen in almost any bone of our body. The most common ones,.however are the hips,ribs,vertebrae, wrist, etc. 

What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a silent skeletal disease; it does not show its symptoms unless the situation puts a person in trouble such as bone fractures.  These are called fragility fractures. In normal scenario a healthy person would not break his bone on minor fall or stretch, but in osteoporosis even mild stress or exertion may sometimes break a bone in your hip, rib or spine or wrist, etc.  Fragility fractures are the most common symptom of osteoporosis.

Bone in osteoporosis undergoes structural changes over time and this may not show any symptoms in the early period.  Once any of the bone experiences fracture, there can be associated symptoms felt that can help to diagnose osteoporosis: 

Some of these symptoms can be:

  • Pain in the hip after a person has hip fracture
  • Back pain may be due to the fractured vertebrae
  • Lower back pain
  • Feeling discomfort and pain while walking
  • Deviation in normal gait
  • decrease in the height or stooped posture, bending too much forward
What causes osteoporosis? What is the pathophysiology of osteoporosis in simple terms?

Our bones have a lifelong capacity to rebuild itself as the wear and tear process goes on. It replaces the old or worn out cells with new cells and this keeps our bones healthy as there is sufficient bone mass and good mineral density which offers strength to our bone to handle the stress. This is called bone remodelling process. 

In osteoporosis, somehow, bone remodelling, the mechanism of rebuild is compensated due to many risk factors or underlying conditions. This results into the use of the bone cells rapidly whereas the new cells are comparatively formed very slowly or at a very minute speed. This forms pores or gaps in the bone. Our bone starts to get brittle and weak due to the less minerals such as calcium and phosphorus and this tends to break them on experiencing stress. 

Who is at risk for osteoporosis? 

Many risk factors may contribute to the causation of osteoporosis. These are:
  • It is seen in older people. Elderly men and women are at risk. 
  • Menopausal women as compared to men have often been reported to have osteoporosis. 
  • Family history of fractured hip or osteoporosis
  • People with short stature are believed to be at risk due to the less bone mass from their birth.
  • Hormonal imbalances may put you at risk of osteoporosis. Thyroid gland disorders, parathyroid disorder, less estrogen and less testosterone, etc. can cause to develop osteoporosis.
  • People with certain medications such as steroids;long term use of oral or injected steroids may weaken your bones. 
  • People who have less dietary intake of calcium and Vitamin D can have a risk to develop osteoporosis. 
  • People with deficiency of minerals like calcium and phosphorus.
  • People who have deficiency of Vitamin D. 
  • People who have an inactive or a sedentary lifestyle may be at risk of osteoporosis. 
  • People who have medical conditions such as osteoarthritis,rheumatoid arthritis, bowel disease, etc. are at risk. 
  • People who are addicted to tobacco use and alcohol or smoking may be at risk of osteoporosis. 
What are the complications of osteoporosis?
  • Risk of falls 
  • Bending posture or hunched back posture
  • disability and reduced quality of life

How is osteoporosis diagnosed? 

When a person starts feeling sudden pain in hip or wrist or back., he/she may see a doctor who gets the radiology investigation called x-ray done to rule out any fractures. 
Diagnosis of osteoporosis can be done by:
  • X-ray/CT scan
  • Bone density test
  • Ultrasound scan
Fractures are visible on x--rays. Your doctor may recommend a bone mineral density test to check the bone mineral mass.

How can osteoporosis be prevented? Is it possible to prevent osteoporosis? 

Osteoporosis mostly show as we grow old. There are certain factors that are non modifiable and we cannot do anything to reverse it. They are age, height and family history of person. 
However, there are certain factors that can be controlled to avoid or prevent osteoporosis. 
These are:

  • Diet : Diet rich in calcium and vitamin D to ensure bone health
  • Exercise: exercise makes your bones healthy and it helps in replacing the old bone cells to the new ones.
  • Lifestyle changes: being active physically can make your bones perform naturally active. You need to avoid or quit tobacco and alcohol.
  • Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight daily for few minutes on a regular basis can help your body to produce Vitamin D. 

What is the treatment of osteoporosis? 

Treatment of osteoporosis has focus on:
  1. Nutrition
  2. Exercise
  3. Treatment of fractures
  4. Prevention of falls 
  5. Changing lifestyle and habits
  6. Rehabilitation to live life better

Your doctor may put you on several medications such as biphosphonates, calcium supplements and antiresortpive medications that prevent the re-absorption of bone, anabolic medications that help rebuild your bone and a hormone related therapy. 





Note: This blog post is for educational and informational purpose only. It is not a substitute for any medical advice or treatment. Seek your doctor's help in any case. 

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