Osteoporosis (patient information)

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Osteoporosis

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Osteoporosis?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Prevention of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Osteoporosis

Videos on Osteoporosis

FDA on Osteoporosis

CDC on Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis in the news

Blogs on Osteoporosis

Directions to Hospitals Treating Osteoporosis

Risk calculators and risk factors for Osteoporosis

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time.

What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?

There are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Symptoms occurring late in the disease include:

What causes osteoporosis?

  • As you age, calcium and phosphate may be reabsorbed back into the body from the bones, which makes the bone tissue weaker. This can result in brittle, fragile bones that are more prone to fractures, even without injury. Usually, the loss occurs gradually over years. Many times, a person will have a fracture before becoming aware that the disease is present. By the time a fracture occurs, the disease is in its advanced stages and damage is severe. The leading causes of osteoporosis are a drop in estrogen in women at the time of menopause and a drop in testosterone in men. Women over age 50 and men over age 70 have a higher risk for osteoporosis.

Who is at highest risk?

White women, especially those with a family history of osteoporosis, have a greater than average risk of developing osteoporosis. Other risk factors include:

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

There are several different treatments for osteoporosis, including lifestyle changes and a variety of medications. The goals of osteoporosis treatment are to:

Medications are used to strengthen bones when:

BISPHOSPHONATES

CALCITONIN

HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

PARATHYROID HORMONE

  • Teriparatide (Forteo) is approved for the treatment of postmenopausal women who have severe osteoporosis and are considered at high risk for fractures. The medicine is given through daily shots underneath the skin. You can give yourself the shots at home.

RALOXIFENE

EXERCISE

Regular exercise can reduce the likelihood of bone fractures in people with osteoporosis. Some of the recommended exercises include:

  • Weight-bearing exercises -- walking, jogging, playing tennis, dancing
  • Resistance exercises -- free weights, weight machines, stretch bands
  • Balance exercises -- Tai chi, yoga
  • Riding a stationary bicycle
  • Using rowing machines
  • Avoid any exercise that presents a risk of falling, or high-impact exercises that may cause fractures.

DIET

Get at least 1,200 milligrams per day of calcium and 800 - 1,000 international units of vitamin D3. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Your doctor may recommend a supplement to give you the calcium and vitamin D you need. Follow a diet that provides the proper amount of calcium, vitamin D, and protein. While this will not completely stop bone loss, it will guarantee that a supply of the materials the body uses to form and maintain bones is available.

High-calcium foods include:

  • Cheese
  • Ice cream
  • Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and collard greens
  • Low-fat milk
  • Salmon
  • Sardines (with the bones)
  • Tofu
  • Yogurt

STOP UNHEALTHY HABITS

Quit smoking, if you smoke. Also, limit alcohol intake. Too much alcohol can damage your bones, as well as put you at risk for falling and breaking a bone.

PREVENT FALLS

It is critical to prevent falls. Avoid sedating medications and remove household hazards to reduce the risk of fractures. Make sure your vision is good. Other ways to prevent falling include:

  • Avoiding walking alone on icy days
  • Using bars in the bathtub, when needed
  • Wearing well-fitting shoes

MONITORING

Your response to treatment can be monitored with a series of bone mineral density measurements taken every 1 - 2 years. Women taking estrogen should have routine mammograms, pelvic exams, and Pap smears.

RELATED SURGERIES

There are no surgeries for treating osteoporosis itself. However, a procedure called vertebroplasty can be used to treat any small fractures in your spinal column due to osteoporosis. It can also help prevent weak vertebrae from becoming fractured by strengthening the bones in your spinal column. The procedure involves injecting a fast-hardening glue into the areas that are fractured or weak. A similar procedure called kyphoplasty, uses balloons to widen the spaces that need the glue. The balloons are removed during the procedure.

Where to find medical care for osteoporosis?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Osteoporosis

What to expect (outlook/prognosis)?

Medications to treat osteoporosis can help prevent fractures, but vertebrae that have already collapsed cannot be reversed. Some persons with osteoporosis become severely disabled as a result of weakened bones. Hip fractures leave about half of the patients unable to walk independently. This is one of the major reasons people are admitted to nursing homes. Although osteoporosis is debilitating, it does not affect life expectancy.

Possible complications

Prevention of osteoporosis

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining healthy bone. Vitamin D is also needed because it helps your body absorb calcium. Following a healthy, well-balanced diet can help you get these and other important nutrients throughout life.

Other tips for prevention:

A number of medications are approved for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000360.htm

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