Case Study: The Physical Impact Of Osteoporosis

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This research paper will discuss and examine the physical impact of osteoporosis on the subject of case study #4 as well as looking at reasons why the disease developed, how it can be treated and how it will impact the short-term and long-term economic situation of the subject. Ivy is a 60 year old woman who has sustained a broken ankle from a fall while shopping. After a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, she is found to be at risk for osteoporosis. Despite her active lifestyle Ivy has several risk factors for this disease, including ethnicity, an associated disease and lifestyle habits.
What is osteoporosis? This disease is defined as a condition of loss of bone mass. Bones are continually going through a process of breakdown and …show more content…

Some may notice a slight loss of height. Often a broken or fractured bone is the first sign that there may be a problem with your bone mass. That is why bone density scans are recommended for people as they get older, the first around the age of 50 to get a baseline reading and another in 1 to 2 years to evaluate the rate of bone loss. Ivy, being a 60 year old Asian-American woman has several additional possible risk factors for osteoporosis. Up to 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant (WebMD, n.d.), which could lead to a reduced dietary intake of calcium which is necessary for bone development. Many Asians also have slender frames so they have less bone mass to start with. Ivy also was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis several years ago. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, especially around the joints. It causes pain, inflammation and stiffness in the affected joints, especially those of the hands and feet. Some medications given for RA, called glucocorticoids, can trigger more bone loss and that loss is greatest close to the joints which show RA symptoms. Ivy suffered a fracture in her ankle, where RA tends to be

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