Osteoporosis: A Disease Of The Bone

1499 Words3 Pages

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone. The bones become weak and brittle and are prone to fractures. A person with osteoporosis can fracture a bone just by hitting a table or turning while in bed. Most people with osteoporosis keep on getting fractures because the weight of the body cannot be supported by the bone and normal body movements, including walking, will strain the bone. This condition arises when the rate of bone growth cannot keep pace with bone loss. Osteoporosis can affect any bone including the hip, wrist or spine.
Prevalence
Osteoporosis is a common problem worldwide. It affects people of all races and ages. Older people are particularly prone to the disease because the ageing process involves bone weakening, …show more content…

He will also examine your spine to find out if it is upright. Height loss and a bent spine are indicators of osteoporosis.
Bone Density Test
The doctor will perform a bone density test to establish the strength of your bones. This test is usually done on the hip and spine using a central dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machine. Low bone density indicates a likelihood of osteoporosis.
Laboratory Tests
The doctor can also carry out laboratory tests on the blood and urine to identify what could be causing bone loss. These tests include testosterone levels in men, thyroid function tests and blood calcium levels. The doctor can also test whether the body has enough vitamin D. If the tests identify a condition in your body that is causing the bone loss, it is possible to cure that condition and end osteoporosis.
The doctor may also perform biochemical marker tests on the blood and urine which can give an indicator of the rate of loss or regeneration of bones. X-ray and Vertebral Fracture Assessments (VFAs) can also be performed to establish if there are any cracks in the spine. Other tests that the doctor can carry out include CT scan and MRI to get a clear picture of the internal bone structure including the possibility of changes that may have been caused by conditions such as …show more content…

The most dangerous fractures are those of the hip especially for elderly people. Studies have found that only about a third of people who get a hip fracture return to normal even after treatment. In fact, about 20 percent of the elderly people who get this fracture die within a year.
Another important factor for the outlook of patients with osteoporosis is whether the condition is detected early or late. If the condition is detected early enough, remedial measures are likely to succeed and slow down osteoporosis. Late diagnosis is problematic as it is difficult for osteoporosis that is advanced to be successfully reversed.
Your doctor can be able to check your potential for developing osteoporosis using the WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®). The tool utilizes information such as bone density and lifestyle to predict the chances of you breaking a bone such as spine, hip, forearm and shoulder in the next ten years. This will guide your doctor in determining the correct intervention including putting you on osteoporosis medication.

More about Osteoporosis: A Disease Of The Bone

Open Document