OSTEOPOROSIS-A SILENT KILLER | Haya Hassan (Team SBFT)

“OSTEOPOROSIS-A SILENT KILLER"
By: Haya Hassan (Team SBFT)

The skeleton you have in your 60s is the one you built in your teens-Yes that’s true and is quite disturbing idea to anyone who has ever watched a 16 year old boy eat.
Right through our 20s we are still building our bones. Between 30 and 45 year old with a healthy diet and some exercise, losses and inputs are equivalent until a stage reaches when bone loss surpasses the bone gain. This develops the possibility of occurrence of a very common bone disease that’s osteoporosis. It occurs when the body fails to form new bone or when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body.
Osteoporosis is also called silent disease because bone loss usually occurs gradually over the years without symptoms. Many people aren’t aware that they have osteoporosis until they either have a bone densitometry test (DXA) or have a minor fall which causes the bone to break. Often this ‘fragility factor’ is the first sign of osteoporosis.

What are the causes of Osteoporosis? Two essential minerals that are required for normal bone formation are Calcium and Vitamin D. Our bodies contain about 1kg of this important mineral, 99 per cent of which is found in our bones. Most people should be able to get enough calcium through healthy eating, without the need for additional supplements. You need vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium, the best source of which is sunlight, which your body uses during the summer months to manufacture the vital vitamin in your skin. The deficiency of these two important minerals is the main cause of osteoporosis. The leading causes of osteoporosis are age, genetic factors and low body weight. Aging leads to osteoporosis partially due to the drop in estrogen or a drop of testosterone that occurs with age in some men. In addition aging of thecells in the bone that make new bone is an important cause.

Osteoporosis is commonly linked to postmenopausal women. This is due to the drop in levels of estrogen; a hormone essential for calcium absorption; after menopause. During the first five years after menopause, women can suffer up to two to four percent loss of bone density per year. This can result in the loss of 25 to 30 percent of their bone density during that period. However men, younger women, children and pregnant women are also affected.

Genetic factors are the most important factor and contributor in bone loss with age. If your parents or grandparents have had any signs of osteoporosis you maybe at a greater risk of developing the disease. If you have low BMI(body mass index), below 19kg/m², you are at greater risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures.

How to know if you have osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is currently diagnosed on a bone density scanning machine when the amount of bone you have, as measured on the scan, is found to be significantly lower than average. The lower your bone density the higher your risk of breaking bones. Doctors decide who needs drug treatment to reduce their risk of a fracture, they are moving towards using ‘fracture risk assessment’ rather than simply diagnosing osteoporosis. For this they use a fracture risk assessment tool called FRAXTM. Drug treatments for fragile bones and osteoporosis can reduce fracture risk by about 50 per cent.

How can you protect yourself against osteoporosis? There are multiple ways by which you can protect yourself against osteoporosis by bringing a little changes in your lifestyle. Whatever your age or sex is, what you eat today will help to keep your skeleton strong for the future. Some key ways to prevent osteoporosis are:-
_Take calcium rich foods such as dairy products, almonds, figs, beans, spinach, etc.
_Go out daily for an early morning walk in mild sunlight. This will help in Vitamin D absorption.
_Avoid drinking alcohol
_Avoid smoking or using tobacco orally.
_Avoid the use of steroidal drugs for long.
_Get your serum calcium levels checked regularly.
_Get bone mineral density test after every 6 months.
_Start exercising regularly

Exercises for strong bones: Here is a picture which shows some muscle strengthening and bone strengthening exercises for strong bones

Some facts about Osteoporosis:-

·         1 out of 3 women over 50 will experience osteoporosis fractures as well as 1 out of 5 men.

·         Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 second!

·         It is projected that more than about 50% of all osteoporotic hip fractures will occur in Asia by the year 2050.

·         About 20-25% of hip fractures occur in men. The overall mortality is about 20% in the first 12 months after hip fracture and is higher in men than women.

·         Nearly 75% of all hip fractures occur in women (23).

·         Men account for 25% of hip fractures occurring in the over 50 population

·         Some young females, particularly those training for elite athletic competition, exercise too much, eat too little, and consequently experience amenorrhea which makes them at risk for low bone mass and fractures

·         Middle-aged and older men and women with annual height loss >0.5 cm are at increased risk of hip and any fracture

·         Poor compliance is one of the most important treatment problems. Studies show that only 40% of patients take treatment for more than one year. At two years, only 20% of patients are still taking their medication.


By: TEAM SBFT

   
      Researcher Pakistan