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Effects of osteoporosis on the health and functioning of the skeletal system
Osteoporosis effects on the skeletal system
Impact of Osteoporosis on the Skeletal System
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Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the bones generally brought on by the process of aging, unfortunately there can also be a number of underlying or secondary causes; however, preventative care and drug treatments can minimize the severity of this prevalent disease. Osteoporosis has been estimated to affect more than 200 million people worldwide (Bethel, 2015). According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 9.9 million Americans have osteoporosis and an additional 43.1 million have low bone density. What is osteoporosis exactly? Literally, osteoporosis means “porous bone”. Derived from oste/o, meaning bone, and –porosis, meaning the condition of being porous. It is an imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation. Clinically …show more content…
It can affect people of every race, sex, and age; however, it is more commonly seen in postmenopausal women of white or Asian descent and individuals over the age of seventy. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, “In the United States, two million fractures are attributed to osteoporosis annually at a cost of $19 billion, with 432,000 hospital admissions, 2.5 million medical office visits, and approximately 180,000 nursing home admissions.” Osteoporosis is determined by Bone Mineral Density (BMD) testing, which uses Dual-energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) to provide a patient’s T-score. A T-score value of 2.5 points below standard is indicative of osteoporosis. For each decrease of one T-score point the risk for vertebral fracture increases by a factor of two (Bethel, 2015). Osteoporosis can be divided into two categories: primary osteoporosis and secondary osteoporosis. Primary osteoporosis includes senile osteoporosis which affects individuals over the age of seventy and postmenopausal osteoporosis which affects women generally over the age of fifty. Secondary osteoporosis is caused by an underlying disease or condition or as the result of extended use of certain medications. Women are at a much higher risk for developing primary, or idiopathic, osteoporosis, the female to male ration is 4:1. However, men are more likely to develop secondary osteoporosis generally …show more content…
The likelihood of developing osteoporosis depends partly on the amount of bone mass you attained in your youth. Consider your peak bone mass as “money in the bank”, the more you have built up, the less likely you are to become deficient as you age (Mayo, 2014). Postmenopausal osteoporosis is caused by a decrease in estrogen following the cessation of the menstrual cycle. This lack of estrogen leads to an excess of bone resorption accompanied by a decrease in the quantity and quality of new bone formation. All bone cells express receptors for estrogen. Most women will lose thirty to forty percent of the cortical bone and fifty percent of the trabecular bone throughout their lifetime. The most common fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis are of the vertebrae and distal forearm (Bethel, 2015). Senile osteoporosis is caused by skeletal aging and calcium deficiency. It is simply a slow yet progressive decrease in the performance of osteoblasts in response to the absorption rate of the osteoclasts. The most common fractures seen in senile osteoporosis are of the wrist, hip, and vertebrae (Bethel, 2015.) Secondary osteoporosis can result from a number of underlying conditions: genetic factors such as cystic fibrosis; hypogonadal states such as premature menopause or panhypopituitarism; endocrine disorders such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, Cushing
Osteoporosis comes from the latin word meaning “porous bone”. If you were to look closely at a bone you could see there are these small spaces on the bone which is good, now if you look at someone who suffers from osteoporosis you will see these spaces are much larger. As these spaces become larger it takes away from the strength and integrity of the bone making it grow weak and thin. Osteoporosis is most common in women over the age of 50 and gives them a higher risk of fractures and or breaks especially common in the hips. While we know osteoporosis comes from a number of things it can be broken down to age, the hormonal changes most commonly seen in menopause and a lower intake of Vitamin D and Calcium. Age is the unpreventable factor that doctors or you cannot change. Hormonal changes can be fixed with supplements or hormone therapy along with ones intake of Vitamin D and Calcium. Hormone therapy, estrogen alone or the combination of estrogen and progestin have been proven to prevent and aide in the treatment of osteoporosis in
There are many different diseases that can affect our skeletal system and Osteoporosis is one of them. Osteoporosis lessens bone strength and bone density (amount of bone mineral in bone tissue), which will lead to fragile bones. It mainly affect the hips, ribs, spine, and wrists. Male or female, at any age, can get this but it is mostly occurs in older women (Team, 2016). Osteoporosis is very common, there are more than 3 million cases a year. There are many causes/risk factors, symptoms, and some treatment cases. About 54 million Americans have Osteoporosis and low bone mass (Foundation, 2016).
Osteoporosis is a condition, which advances with age, resulting in fragile, weak bones due to a decrease in bone mass. Externally osteoporotic bone is shaped like normal bone, however it’s internal appearance differs. Internally the bone becomes porous due to a loss in essential minerals, including phosphate and calcium. The minerals are loss more quickly than they can be replaced and in turn cause the bones to become less dense and weak. The bones become prone to fracture, due to their weakness. Therefore the awareness of the disease tends to occur after a fracture has been sustained. The bones most commonly affected are the ribs, wrist, pelvis and the vertebrae.
Osteoporosis is a condition, in which bones are weak from deterioration, loss of bone mass, and quality bone strength. Osteoporosis usually triggers postmenopausal women (women who have not had their period for a whole year), or older men and women. Some risks both older men and women endure when experiencing osteoporosis are decreased calcium and bone fractures. These symptoms or effects can all be caused by weight loss, smoking, age, ethnicity, genetics, medications, bone structure, and certain diseases that can later on contribute to osteoporosis, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoporosis may be prevented by going to drug therapy to stop alcoholism and smoking, a sufficient amount of calcium intake, and exercising such as jogging, walking, and aerobics.
Osteoporosis is associated with repeated fractures, tender bones, neck and back pain, a decrease in height as well as poor posture. There is a variety of factors that contribute to the development of osteoporosis. These include a calcium deficiency, possibly due to a poor diet, aging and old age, the loss of estrogen that comes with the onset of menopause in women, as well as genetics. There are several other diseases that contribute to osteoporosis such as Cushing’s Disease and rheumatoid arthritis. There are 40 million Americans who struggle with this disease, men as well as women although women are more likely to develop it due to the loss of estrogen during and post-menopause. The estrogen loss is a major factor in bone formation. Other factors include family members who have had the disease, smoking, and being on certain medications such as prednisone.
More than 20 million people in the united states are affected by osteoporosis disease every year. Furthermore, Osteoporosis leads to about 1.5 million fractures in this country every year ("Celebrate World Osteoporosis Day, 2016). Osteoporosis is a common disease where people lose bone density faster than normal. This disease causes the bone to become weak and brittle which leads to fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist from a simple fall or even a sneeze or a cough. Osteoporosis usually does not have any symptoms and goes undetected until a fracture occurs. This silent disease can impact any gender, but it affects more women than men especially after menopause. Osteoporosis occurs when more
Osteoporosis is a systemic, debilitating disease of the skeleton, characterized by significantly decreased bone mass in combination with the deterioration of bone microarchitecture. Osteoporosis has three types of categories the first category is type 1 which occurs in women after menopause and results from declining levels of estrogen and other sex hormones in the body, this could also occur in men due to low levels of the sex hormone testosterone. Type 2 is called Senile Osteoporosis, which occurs in elderly men as well as elderly women because of decreased bone formation due to aging. Type 3 is caused by long term use of medication usually with steroids and drugs to treat elipsy. Osteoporosis which literally means “Porous Bone”,
Osteoporosis is one of the main types of bone diseases that is more commonly developed in the adult years of men and women, but can also affect younger aged people too. This disease contributes to “…decrease bone mass, increased skeletal fragility, and an increased risk of fractures…” (Caple & Schub. 2014). Bones are constantly being replaced by new bone hence it is living tissue. Osteoporosis eventually occurs when new bone has failed to be developed. In Canada, “1.5 million Canadians 40 years of age or older (10%) reported having been diagnosed with osteoporosis, of which, women were 4 times more likely to report having osteoporosis than men” (“What is the impact,” 2010). Women are at greater risk then men because the hormone changes in women can affect the bone density. Estrogen is essential for bone density but after menopause the levels fall resulting in bone loss. On the other hand, the cause for men is still unknown. However, testosterone: the male hormone helps to keep bones healthy. Even though men still produce the male hormone at an old age, there is still a risk of osteoporosis because the levels have dropped. Occasionally bone loss occurs without any cause, and later realizing that it is a silent theif when you ultimately develop symptoms (“Osteoporosis – Review,” 2014). In most instances osteoporosis is preventable, even though it is not reversible and harmful disease.
Bone density generally refers to the strength of a bone and its ability to bear weight. Doing a bone density scan therefore measures a bone’s strength, its ability to bear weight, and its risk of fracture. The most common and accurate way to measure bone density is to use a Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. (Medlineplus, 2014). Before the use of DEXA was introduced, osteoporosis could be determined only when a patient broke a bone, and by then, the bone may have become very weak. With a bone density scan however, it can be determined if a patient is at risk of bone fracture, or at risk of osteoporosis. The bone density scan is done with Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) equipment. The DEXA technology became available for clinical use in 1987, but before then, there were the Single Photon Absorptiometry (SPA), and Dual Photon Absorptiometry (DPA), both of which are no longer in use. (Dasher, Newton, & Lenchik, 2010). The bone density scan is usually done on the following patients:
...a casein-free diet was 19.9ng⁄mL, for participants not on a casein-free diet it was 19.6ng⁄mL, and for controls it was 17ng⁄mL. There were no differences in the measurements of 25 (OH) D in all groups. About sixty-one percent, fifty-four children, had concentrations of less than 20ng⁄mL. This is the minimum concentration recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure good bone health. These children could be at risk for problems associated with vitamin D deficiency. This includes concerns with bone health and calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Children with autism spectrum disorder are limited to what activities they can do and usually are not exposed to much sunlight causing them to be at a greater risk. Understanding the needs and taking preventive measures for children with autism will help reduce the risk of health problems as they enter adulthood.
The big picture. Where the two schools of medicine differ is in philosophy. Doctors of osteopathy "treat people, not just symptoms," says Karen Nichols, dean of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. "The course list looks exactly the same, but the M.D.'s focus is on discrete organs. The osteopathic focus is that all of those pieces are interrelated. You can't affect one with out affecting another." That means paying more than simple lip service to the idea of the "whole" patient: It means that diagnosis and treatment rely on an examination of a person's environment and family and general situation as well as his or her body. Not surprisingly, about 65 percent of the nation's 52,000 licensed osteopaths (by comparison, the country boasts at least 900,000 M.D.'s) are primary-care physicians. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine has a description of osteopathic training, as well as short profiles of 20 schools, at www.aacom.org. The D.O. programs and their contact information are listed in the directory section of this book.
Bone diseases most directly influence the ability to walk or to move any part of the body--hands, limbs, neck, and spine. They are related to joint disorders--ARTHRITIS, COLLAGEN DISEASE, DISLOCATION of joints, and RHEUMATISM. The medical specialty pertaining to bone disorders is ORTHOPEDICS. Fractures are the most common bone disorders. They can occur as the result of an accident or be secondary to metabolic diseases.
By definition, "osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist" (National Institute of Health- Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases, 2012). Both Berarducci (2008) and Hansberger’s (2005) article note that osteoporosis is the most common disease of all bone disorders, affecting both men and women. The incidence of the disease is growing in the United States with almost 44 million affected Americans and an estimate incidence rate of 10 to 14 million by 2020. Deemed a "silent" epidemic, there is a low level of diagnosis, and even lower level of treatment. Walker (2010) supports Hansberger (2005) that the disease causes pain, depression, anxiety, loss of mobility, and ultimately fractures. It is crucial that Advanced Practice Nurses/Nurse Practitioners have a solid understanding of the disease and are able to identify risk factors, order the proper diagnostic testing, and treat their patients.
Women are at a higher threat of developing osteoporosis when their ovaries discontinue producing estrogen. This is due to the fact that estrogen supports maintaining proper calcium levels in bones. “A collapse of bony vertebrae of the spinal column results in loss of height and stooped posture. Hip fractures are a common occurrence.”
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become so weak and brittle that even a cough can cause enough stress on the bone that it will cause the bone to facture. The most commonly broken bones are the hip, wrist, and the spine. Although it affects men and women of all races, post-menopausal Caucasian and Asian women are more commonly affected than those of other ethnicities and sexes. In fact, thirty percent of all post-menopausal women in the US and Europe will be diagnosed with Osteoporosis and at least 40 percent of those will suffer from a fracture in their lifetime.