Osteoporosis is the term given to bone loss, a disease which results in an augmented risk of bone fractures. The statistics of the impact of osteoporosis are frighteningly high. For example, hip fractures caused by osteoporosis are very common, and in fact, they demand more use of hospital beds and care than that of strokes, diabetes and heart-attack combined. Osteoporosis is possible to be the cause of 80% of the 30,000 hip fractures that occur annually in Canada alone. Unluckily osteoporosis is becoming more common in both men and women. Predominantly men and women over the age of 50 are at risk of developing osteoporosis, and therefore more likely to experience bone fractures in their later years.
Osteoporosis is a sickness that causes thin bones that break easily. It is essentially the most common type of bone disease. Many people do not know that osteoporosis can occur in women, although women are five times more expected than men to get osteoporosis. There are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease, so it is significant to learn a few facts about the disorder and what you can do to protect yourself as you get older. It is thought that about half of women over age 50 will break a wrist, hip, or bone in their spine due to this disorder. There are tests that use x-rays or sound waves that calculate bone density to test for osteoporosis.
There are several known causes of osteoporosis, comprising having a family history of it, not having enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet, and having gone through menopause. One trouble-free way to lessen your risk of developing osteoporosis is by having enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet.
Osteoporosis risk factors:
- Age- bones start to lose density when you get older as more cells wear out than are being replaced by the healthy ones. Fractures may happen and you may take much longer to recover when you are older.
- Women that had hysterectomy.
- Men with low levels of testosterone.
- Women are at a superior risk after the menopause due to ovaries not being able to produce oestrogen- the hormone that helps continue calcium in the bones.
- Not enough exercise and having an inactive lifestyle. Exercise keeps bones stronger.
- Drinking too much alcohol.
- A diet low in calcium.
- Family account of the disease.
To prevent osteoporosis:
- Quit smoking and this should be your priority to take pleasure in a healthier life.
- Stop heavy drinking.
- Take up regular physical activity, but do not overdo it. The sort of exercise that’s beneficial in preventing osteoporosis is weight-bearing, such as walking or aerobics.
- Eat healthy foods every day and include calcium in your diet. The recommended daily intake of calcium for an adult is around 800mg.
Osteoporosis Symptoms:
- Wrist, hip or spine fractures.
- Bone tenderness and pain.
- Broken bones.
- Discomfort in the neck or neck pain.
- Sudden severe or unexplained back pain.
- Height loss and followed by stooped posture. Patients may lose as much as 15cm in height.
- A loss of bone in jaws, indicated by dental x-rays.
- Pain on abdominal.
- Brittle fingernails.
- Curving of the spine- kyphosis.
- Leg cramps at night.
- Loss of teeth.
- Persistent pain in the spine or muscles of the lower back.
- Abdominal pain.
- Constant tiredness.
Alendronate for osteoporosis
Alendronate is used to treat along with prevent osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones become thin and weak and break easily) in women who have undergone menopause (”change of life,” end of menstrual periods) and to manage osteoporosis in men. Alendronate is also used to treat osteoporosis in women who are taking corticosteroids (a type of medication that may cause osteoporosis in some patients). Alendronate is also used to fix Paget’s disease of bone (a condition in which the bones are soft and weak and may be deformed, painful, or easily broken). Alendronate is in a class of medications called bisphosphonates. It functions by preventing bone breakdown and increasing bone density (thickness).
Raloxifene for osteoporosis
Raloxifene functions like estrogen to discontinue the bone loss that can develop in women after menopause, but it does not increase the bone density as much as daily 0.625 mg doses of conjugated estrogens. Raloxifene will not manage hot flashes of menopause and may cause hot flashes to occur. Also, Raloxifene does not arouse the breast or uterus as estrogen does. Raloxifene lowers the blood concentrations of the total in addition to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad cholesterols, but it does not improve concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the good cholesterol, in your blood. Raloxifene is also used to lower the chances of having invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or at eminent risk of having invasive breast cancer.