Osteoporosis: The silent thief (Feature)

I WAS once reading through some materials on health, especially those which usually affect women, when I came across a question which made me to sit up. The question is: “If you fall suddenly, would your bones survive the impact?” The questioner went ahead to state; “They might not if you have osteoporosis”. Immediately, I became interested and made up my mind to learn more about this deadly disease which health experts say one in every three women above 50 years are likely to suffer.
Materials provided by the Lady Pharmacists Association of Ghana (LAPAG), during this year's celebration of the World Osteoporosis Day, which fell on October 20, indicated that osteoporosis, which literally means “porous bone”, is a disease in which the density and quality of bones are reduced and as the bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fractures is greatly increased. It added that the loss of bone occurs “silently” and progressively and often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs.
Every woman should be worried because the disease seems to be more prevalent among women than men.
According statistics provided in the LAPAG document, one in every three women as against one in every five men over the age of 50 years were likely to suffer an osteoporotic fracture. The reason given in case of women is that hormonal changes that take place at menopause are considered one of the reasons why women are at greater risk than men.
Fractures caused by osteoporosis in women aged over 45 years are responsible for more days spent in hospital than most other diseases such as breast cancer or heart attack.
It pointed out that the lifetime risk for a woman or man dying from hip fracture complications was the same as that for breast or prostate cancer.
Osteoporosis is sometimes referred to as “the silent thief”, because one may not know it is robbing one’s bone mass until one suffers a fracture because of weakened bones.
The disease can also become evident if one notices that he or she has lost height or that a spine is beginning to curve. It is also possible for a patient to break a wrist or hip from a gentle fall, or suffer a spinal fracture from something as simple as lifting a baby. Fractures associated with osteoporosis occur most commonly at the wrist, hip and spine.
According to the LAPAG materials, osteoporosis which causes spinal fractures could cause intense pain, chronic back pain and may eventually result in a gradual loss of movement and the inability of a sufferer to carry out daily chores.
The effects of the disease could also lead to loss of height, and in severe cases, the spine may curve to form what is termed a “dowager’s hump”.
Hip fractures almost always require surgery and in about a third of patients, result in loss of independent living and the need to transfer to institutional care.
However, the good news is that testing for osteoporosis is quick, easy and painless, and there are a number of different treatments available that can reduce the risk of vertebral fractures by up to 62 per cent and non-vertebral fractures by up to 69 per cent.
To know how osteoporosis occurs, it is important to note that bones are made of living and dynamic tissue. Throughout one's life, old bone tissue is removed and a new one formed. The critical years for building bone mass are during childhood and adolescence. During this age bracket, new bone is formed more quickly than old bone is removed, causing bones to become larger and denser. This pace continues until around the mid 20s when peak bone mass is normally reached.
Information available indicates that although a person’s peak bone mass is determined largely by genetic factors, other factors such as nutrition, physical activity and disease also influence bone development.
Bone tissue loss generally begins after the age of about 40 years, when a person is no longer able to replace bone tissue as quickly as he or she loses it.
In women, however, the rate of bone tissue loss increases after menopause, when oestrogen production stops and bones no longer benefit from its protective effect.
Men also suffer from loss of bone tissue, but the rate of loss is much slower than in women.
Health professionals advise that at this stage in life, taking preventive measures will help to slow the rate of bone tissue thinning and reduce the risk of having osteoporosis-related fractures. It is, therefore, very important for women after the age of 45 years to speak to their doctors and be assessed for the risk of post-menopausal osteoporosis.
On how to prevent the disease, it is important to know that the best time in life to ensure bone health for the future is while one is still young. Exercise and good nutrition, with plenty of calcium-rich foods accompanied by enough regular sunshine to maintain vitamin D production in our bodies will ensure strong bones.
This does not mean, however, that we cannot contribute positively to our bone health later on in life. The same things that make bones strong in youth will also help later on. For patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, there are also various treatments available that slow down the rate of bone loss.
As stated earlier, one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 years are likely to suffer an osteoporotic fracture. The hormonal changes that take place at menopause are one reason why women are at greater risk than men.
There are a number of other risk factors associated with osteoporosis and these include a close family member diagnosed with osteoporosis ; a family history of fractures resulting from minor bumps and falls; frequent falls; a previous fracture and long-term enforced bed rest.
Others are little physical activity; low body weight; loss in height; menstruation stopping for more than 12 months; a diet low in calcium and vitamin D; high alcohol intake; smoking; certain medications in long-term use such as corticosteroids and also when one is 60 years old and above.
As osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms other than a fracture when the bone is already significantly weakened, it is important to see a doctor if any of the risk factors apply to you.
The doctor will take a thorough medical history that includes information on any recent fractures and may determine that the next step is to assess your risk of osteoporosis and its related risk of fractures.