Osteoporosis Essay

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Osteoporosis is a serious bone disease. It is caused by loss of bones density or mass. In the United States more than 40 million people already have osteoporosis, or are at an extremely high risk of getting the disease. Osteoporosis can happen to both men and women. In this essay I will give you a brief overview of the disease, tell you about the smaller risk factors, talk about how steroids come into play with osteoporosis, and explain the symptoms and treatment.
The term osteoporosis stands for “porous bone.” When looking at a healthy bone under a microscope you will always see holes and spaces. In a bone with osteoporosis the holes and spaces that you see will appear to be much larger. This appearance is due to the loss of bone density and bone mass. When this happens to your bones, they become weak and you will have an increased risk of breaks or fractures. People with osteoporosis most often break their hip, spine, and wrist bones.
There are numerous risk factors attached to osteoporosis. The first risk factor would be age. After the age of 30 your body slowly begins to lose bone mass/density. When this begins your risk of osteoporosis becomes substantially higher. The second risk factor would be gender. Women are 4 times more likely to suffer from osteoporosis than men. This is due to the fact that women generally have thinner bones than men to begin with. The third risk factor of osteoporosis might come as a surprise, it is ethnicity. It has been proven that caucasian and asian women are at a higher risk of getting the disease. In fact, 20 percent of all asian and caucasian women are said to have osteoporosis, and more than 50 percent have been estimated to have low bone density/mass. The fourth risk factor would be ...

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... osteoporosis is severe, you will be prescribed a bisphosphonate. Bisphosphonates are drugs that prevent the loss of bone mass/density.
All in all, osteoporosis can be a devastating disease. It can affect your whole life in more ways then one. You have to be extremely careful regarding everything you do, and every move you make. With just one wrong touch, or movement you could break your bone very easily. Because there are no early detectors of osteoporosis, we should be all the more careful when it comes to protecting our bones. One of the best way to do this is to take calcium and vitamin D supplements if you show any signs of having a deficiency. Secondly, if you are a habitual user of corticosteroids, you should be having a BMD at least once a year to make sure you are not at risk. Osteoporosis may not be detectable, but at least is is preventable and treatable.

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