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Osteoporosis
Medical Questions » Osteoporosis
| Name: Osteoporosis |
| Also known as: |
| Common bone condition (one quarter of women over the age of 50 affected) in which the basic constituent of bone, calcium, drops to a dangerously low level. The bones soften and may bend, break or collapse. |
Causes of Osteoporosis
Calcium is found in all dairy food (particularly cheese), sardines, shellfish, beans, nuts and tripe. Adults require up to 800 mg. of calcium, and children and pregnant women up to 1400 mg. a day. The structure of bones is being constantly renewed, and a lack of calcium over many years leads to a gradual deterioration in bone strength. Once women reach the menopause, the drop in hormone levels accelerates the loss of calcium from bones. May be hereditary and more common in petite, small-boned women. |
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Most patients do not know they have the disease until they fracture a bone (particularly the hip) with minimal injury, or if on a routine X-ray their bones are seen to be more transparent than normal. |
Tests for Osteoporosis
A procedure similar to an X-ray, dual photon densitometry, can diagnose osteoporosis at an early stage. There are no diagnostic blood tests. |
Treatment for Osteoporosis
Prevention involves adding calcium to the diet before menopause, and by taking calcium supplements and hormone replacement therapy after menopause. Regular exercise is important, as the minor stresses on the bones keep them stronger. In more serious cases, sophisticated, very effective medications (eg. alendronate, calcitriol, disodium etidronate) that force calcium into bones to strengthen them, may be prescribed to be taken daily for several years. Other factors that can help are reducing the intake of coffee and alcohol, and stopping smoking.
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Complications of Osteoporosis of its treatment
Deformity of the back, severe arthritis, and neuralgia caused by the collapsing bones pinching nerves. |
Likely Outcome of Osteoporosis
Control good once diagnosed, but reversal of damage difficult. |
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