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What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones lose mass, becoming thin and weak. Some bone loss is to be expected as part of the aging process, but with osteoporosis the bone loss is so severe that it causes the bones to become porous, brittle, and likely to break. The disease affects 25 million Americans, mostly women after menopause.
Risk Factors A number of factors determine the risk of developing osteoporosis: |
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- Sex - women have lighter, thinner bones than men.
- Age - with the decrease in estrogen with menopause, bone mass is decreased.
- Race - Caucasian and Asian women have 5 to 10% lower bone density than African-American women. The lighter the complexion, the higher the risk for osteoporosis. Women with very fair skin, freckles, and blond or reddish hair are at the highest risk for osteoporosis.
- Build - a smaller frame, or weaker bones, increases the risk for bone fracture. Overall muscle tone can play a role in the likelihood of experiencing a bone fracture.
- Age at menopause - early menopause causes reduced levels of estrogen over a longer period of time than when menopause occurs later.
- Heredity - having a mother, grandmother, or sister with osteoporosis increases your risk.
- Medication use - steroids, diuretics, anti-convulsants.
- Alcohol use and smoking
- Medical conditions - anorexia, Celiac disease, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, or chronic diarrhea.
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| Prevention |
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- Exercise - increases bone mass before menopause, decreases bone loss after menopause.
- Diet - calcium intake is most important from childhood through the mid-20's when bones are growing at their fastest rate; in women following menopause - when rapid bone loss can occur, and in the elderly.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - replacing the estrogen after menopause improves calcium absorption and has been shown to prevent osteoporosis in 70 to 80% of women.
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