OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis makes your bones weak and more likely to break. Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it is common in older women. As many as half of all women and a quarter of men older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Risk factors include:
- Getting older
- Being small and thin
- Having a family history of osteoporosis
- Taking certain medicines
- Being a white or Asian woman
- Having osteopenia, which is low bone mass
Osteoporosis is a silent disease. You might not know you have it until you break a bone. A bone mineral density test is the best way to check your bone health. To keep bones strong, eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, exercise and do not smoke. If needed, medicines can also help.
Question: I'm a middle-aged woman, and I know I should worry about osteoporosis. What should I know about osteoporosis?
Answer: Osteoporosis is a very common condition affecting millions of women and men in the United States. It is a severe thinning of the bones that can lead to bone fractures and decreased height. Preventing and treating osteoporosis are important because hip fractures, which are very common, can lead to chronic pain, disability, and even death.
Risk factors for osteoporosis include female gender, increased age, thin body, Caucasian race, smoking, family history of osteoporosis, lack of exercise, and estrogen deficiency. Also some medical conditions and medications (for example, steroids) can put you at risk for osteoporosis. Because of estrogen deficiency, all women who go through menopause are at risk for developing osteoporosis. Therefore, unless there is a good reason to avoid hormone replacement therapy (for example, a strong personal or family history of breast cancer), you should consider it at the time of menopause.
You should try to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet. All women should try to get in around 1,200 mg of calcium a day. It is sometimes difficult to get this amount in with diet alone, so inexpensive supplements of elemental calcium can be taken. In addition to calcium, you should try to take in between 400 and 800 units of vitamin D daily. Often supplements containing both are available (for example, Os-cal D).
You should try to perform weight-bearing exercises (for example, walking) regularly to keep your bones strong. You should also try to avoid prolonged bed rest and quit smoking if you are a smoker.
Women who are not able to take hormone replacement therapy or who are at high risk for osteoporosis may be screened for osteoporosis with bone mineral density testing, which is a simple X-ray technique. If you are found to have osteoporosis or osteopenia (milder thinning of bones), other medications are available. You should talk to your doctor to find out if you are at risk for osteoporosis and what testing or treatment is right for you.
