Although your bones are usually very strong, they consist of living tissue that continually breaks down and rebuilds. As you age, it’s possible for old bone to break down faster than the building of new bone. Osteoporosis is a disease that occurs in the bones. The bones are part of the skeletal system which contains a total of 206 bones. Osteo means bones and porosis means porous. This disease causes the bones to become weak and brittle. Some victims of this disease are not aware that anything is wrong because in the beginning osteoporosis is subtle and painless until a bone breaks. According to (Gronholz, 2008) 30 million women and 10 million men, 50 years and older are diagnosed with osteoporosis in the United States. These people are at …show more content…
According to (Gronholz, 2008) the most common risk factors for this disease are being older than 65 and a history of fractures. Postmenopausal women are at greatest risk for this disease process primarily due to hormone changes. Conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and trauma-induced immobilization along with certain medications that cause bone loss such as immunosuppressants and glucocorticoids can also contribute to the development of osteoporosis. Women who have been identified at risk for osteoporosis are given further screenings to help provide a more effective strategy for risk levels of the disease. According to (Gronholz, 2008) the fracture index is a survey that consists of seven questions focusing on the person’s age, history of broken bones, weight of less than 125 lbs, smoking history, mothers history, does the patient use their hands to get up from a chair, and what was their total T score. Patients who score high on this assessment may require further need of prevention strategies including …show more content…
I believe people should be aware of risk factors associated with disease as well as how the disease is diagnosed. Those who are identified as potential risk should know strategies to combat this illness of the skeletal system. Good nutrition, proper exercise, and avoidance of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine can help reduce the potential of developing this disabling disease process. Women who are postmenopausal and men over age 50 should request a BMD test to identify the disease in the early stages. I believe with proper education people will be more aware of this disease process and can begin to plan for ways to prevent injuries by adjusting their
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.
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
Muscular dystrophy is a complex disease that has been around for many years. Although it was discovered in the 1830s there is constant discoveries about the disorder. (“New knowledge about Muscular dystrophy,” 2014 May 5) There are several research studies being done around the world to help find a cure. Here’s to hoping that a cure will be found and no more lives will be taken by this debilitating disease (“Muscular Dystrophy: Hope through Research,” 16 April 2014)
The syndrome is caused because of Genetic mutation that replaces connective tissues (muscles) with bones when someone gets injured instead of getting cured. This results in a new skeletal structure. Unfortunately this syndrome does not have any cure and the patients are advised to always be careful and not to fall or have any kind of traumas. They can’t engage in any sports in order to prevent any injuries. Surgery for removal of extra bones is not an option because removal of bones will lead to ingrowth of more bones. From previous cases it is seen that most of the patients suffering from this condition do not live more than 40 years and they die of respiratory
Osteoporosis 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”, is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced (Kackowski, 2013).
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.
In addition to financial cost, osteoporosis is a burdensome disease because it often results in injury, which leads to immobility, depression, and infection risk. Considering the targeted population for osteoporosis, immobility is very debilitating because it affects activities of daily living. When individuals are positions where they are unable to care for themselves, they are at risk for depression. Often times, elderly individuals lack family support when they need assistance at home. With a lack of help available, individuals are placed in nursing homes or left alone to struggle independently. When individuals are victims to fractures, hospital visits are sometimes required in the event surgery is performed. Considering the age of most patients, they are susceptible to infections if not properly cared for after surgery.
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.
Over diagnosis is described as “what happens when people are given a diagnosis for a disease that will never harm them.” Many people are over diagnosed with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is mentioned as “an over diagnosed disease that many healthy people are diagnosed with”. While osteoporosis can help with preventative matter it can also cause issues. I can bring fear, which may cause the patient to limit or no longer do activities that may increase the chance of an accident.
The health of an individual and their communities is affected by several elements which combine together. Whether an individual is healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment.1 To a greater extent, factors such as where an individual lives, their relationships with family and friends, the state of their environment, income, genetics and level of education all have significant impacts on health, however the more frequently considered factors such as access and use of health care facilities regularly have less of an impact.6 Determinants of health is a term which was introduced in the 1970s as part of a broader analysis of research and policy on public health. Researchers argued that there was a lot of attention and too much expenditure on health being dedicated to individuals and their illnesses, and little or no investment in populations and their health. It was decided that public health should be more concerned with social policies and social determinants than with health facilities and the outcomes of diseases.7 The determinants of health include social and economic environment, physical environment and an individual’s behaviour and characteristics. The environment of an individual determines their health, holding responsible an individual for having poor health or acknowledging them for good health is inappropriate. Individuals are not likely to be able to control several of the determinants of health. These determinants that make individuals healthy or not include the factors above, and numerous others.6
As we grow older, our bones may become more fragile and weak. No two adults live the same lifestyle or age the same; thus the onset and severity of a decline in physical mobility may occur at varying ages. When researching this topic I choose to narrow down on some of the main causes of a decline in physical mobility as well as the preventions to prolong the onset of a decline in physical mobility. Some of these major factors include Vitamin D intake, hospital care, and
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.