Osteoporosis

Bones like all the other living organs and tissues, are also living tissue that go through the same rejuvenation cycle as the cells in our body. Bone is composed of the mineral or hydroxyapatite, organic or collagen type 1, water, non-collagenous proteins and other components.

During the bone rejuvenation process, when the production of new bone material is not in synchronization with the removal of the old bone, this causes the bone to weaken. This then causes the bones to become very brittle, so that coughing, falls, or even slight stress, such as bending over can cause a fracture. A patient with such fragile bones is diagnosed to have Osteoporosis. Fractures related to osteoporosis, ordinarily occurs either in the wrist, the hip or along the spine. It affects both men and women alike, but is predominantly seen to occur in especially older Asian and Caucasian women. Women past their menopause are in the high risk category to be affected by Osteoporosis.

In the early stages of Osteoporosis, no symptoms reveal themselves until the bones have been weakened and you will then see signs such as:

• A bone fracturing just like that without much force being applied
• Occurrence of back pain due to a collapsed vertebrae or caused by a fracture
• Stooping posture
• Loss in height over a period of time

The aging generation does unavoidably face certain risks that are not within their control; risks such as:

• Human race: People of white and Asian decent are at a greater risk than people from other countries
• The baby boomer generation is set to have a greater life expectancy than the previous generation. Consequently, the older they get, the risk of osteoporosis is greater
• Women are much more susceptible to osteoporosis, post menopause
• Genetically having a parent or sibling with a history of osteoporosis, subjects the aging person to be at risk, especially more so if one of their parents had had a hip fracture
• People with a smaller build or frame size are determined, to be at a higher risk on the premise that they may have a lesser bone mass to draw from as they age
• The cause of osteoporosis is also attributed to the balance in hormones in the body. Too little or too much puts the person at risk for osteoporosis. When the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels in the body are reduced, either due to menopause or due to cancer treatments, then this puts such patients at a risk. Hyperthyroidism can cause loss of bone mass. This can happen either due to an overactive thyroid or because of hypothyroidism medications, thus putting the patient at risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis has also been identified in patients with overactive adrenal and parathyroid glandular activity

The causes stated above are but a few, as there are other factors such as dietary factors, consumption of alcohol, gastrointestinal surgery, low calcium, use of tobacco, lifestyle choices, gastric reflux and much more that can cause osteoporosis.