People with osteoporosis are more likely to break bones, most often in the hip, forearm, wrist, and spine. While most broken bones are caused by falls, osteoporosis can weaken bones to the point that a break can occur more easily, for example by coughing or bumping into something.
One in two women and up to one in four men over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis weakens bones to the point that they can break easily. It is called a “silent disease” because people who develop it may not notice any changes until a bone breaks — usually a bone in the hip, spine, or wrist. Bones are made of living tissue.
Osteoporosis is not reversible, but medication, a nutrient-dense diet, and weight bearing exercise can help prevent further bone loss and rebuild bones. Osteoporosis weaken bones so that they are more likely to break.
Men who began treatment at age 50 had a life expectancy of 18.2 years, while the life expectancy for a man beginning treatment at 75 was an average of 7.5 years. For women, the figure was 26.4 years for those beginning treatment at 50 and 13.5 years for those beginning treatment at 75.
Bone loss begins to occur at an approximate rate of 0.25% a year and is variable depending on many genetic and environmental factors. This may be considered the second stage towards osteopenia and/or osteoporosis. It is important to understand that this is a perfectly normal part of the aging process.
When should you call the doctor about osteoporosis? If you have risk factors and are concerned about osteoporosis, ask your healthcare provider about being screened, even if you are not as old as 65 (for women) or 70 (for men). Osteoporosis can be serious. Fractures can alter or threaten your life.
Bones are thickest and strongest in your early adult life until your late 20s. You gradually start losing bone from around the age of 35. This happens to everyone, but some people develop osteoporosis and lose bone much faster than normal. This means they're at greater risk of a fracture.
There is no cure for osteoporosis, but treatment can help to slow or stop the loss of bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. This may involve medications, diet changes, exercise, and steps to prevent fracturing a bone.
The most common fractures for people who have osteoporosis are in the spine, hip, wrist, and forearm. They each have their own long-term effects, but they do have some things in common.
Fractures caused by osteoporosis most often occur in the spine. Spinal fractures — called vertebral compression fractures — occur an estimated 1.5 million times each year in the United States. They are almost twice as common as other fractures typically linked to osteoporosis, such as broken hips and wrists.
It is possible for people to treat or prevent osteoporosis without medication in some cases. If a person's osteoporosis has not caused too much bone loss, lifestyle changes can help prevent osteoporosis bone breaks. These changes include exercise, nutrition, and stopping smoking and drinking.
If you already have osteoporosis, keep in mind that vitamin D and calcium alone are not enough to treat the disease. You'll need to take them along with other medications your doctor prescribes.
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes weak, thinning bones. This leaves the bones at greater risk of breaking. The bones most often affected are the hips, spine, and wrists. Women are 4 times more likely to get osteoporosis than men because of a decrease in estrogen after menopause.
Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, and climbing stairs, can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Avoid substance abuse. Don't smoke. If you are a woman, avoid drinking more than one alcoholic drink each day.
Overview. Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine. Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is called a “silent” disease” because there are typically no symptoms until a bone is broken. Symptoms of vertebral (spine) fracture include severe back pain, loss of height, or spine malformations such as a stooped or hunched posture (kyphosis).
Severe osteoporosis is currently defined by the threshold of bone density value below the -2.5 SDS of T-score, determined by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry, and the presence of one or more fragility fractures.
Several osteoporosis-related complications can significantly reduce a person's quality of life and cause a shortened life expectancy. Those complications include: Fractures: Roughly 8.9 million fractures are caused by osteoporosis each year.