Osteoporosis Bone Disorder (OSD) – Symptoms, Causes and Prevention

Reviewed by: | Author: Manoja Kalakanti

Osteoporosis bone disorder, also known as porous bones is one of the most common diseases of bones. A person suffering from osteoporosis will lose a certain amount of bone mass. Osteoporosis enhances the risk of bone fractures. In this disease the density of the bones will be decreased drastically, finally making them weak and thin. When the bones become thin and fragile, a person will definitely tend have more injuries (as he is at high risk of it). This is due to low intake of calcium and vitamin-D and other health issues. So, it is always better to maintain a balanced diet chart which includes calcium and vitamin-D rich foods.

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder

Frequent bone injuries and fractures are the initial signs for osteoporosis bone disorder. Hips, spine, wrists and ribs are the most common areas which are at a high risk of osteoporosis related fractures. Even if we face small injury, these areas can suffer from bone destruction or collapse.

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder: Symptoms

Osteoporosis is a bone disease which develops slowly. This disease has no such exact symptoms but it increases the risk of bone destruction, as a certain amount of bone mass is lost. We can only find symptoms when we suffer from minor injuries which will lead to fracture of the bone. Few of the symptoms which we might ignore are:

  • Joint pains
  • Fracture of bones after a small and minor injuries
  • Continuous back pain (How to maintain a healthy back)
  • Sitting straight will be difficult

People who are at high risk of Osteoporosis?

Several factors enhance the risk of osteoporosis bone disorder. These factors includes our health conditions, lifestyle, age and diet

Some of the osteoporosis risk factors are:

  • People whose parents have osteoporosis have high risk of suffering from this disorder.
  • As we get older, our bones will lose its density and becomes weak. So, elder people have greater risk of osteoporosis.
  • People with small body frames and are too thin tend to have great risk of osteoporosis development.
  • Women are at a high risk of osteoporosis during their menopause time, as the estrogen levels will be decreased during this time.
  • People who maintain a poor diet will low calcium intake and suffering from anorexia are also at a higher risk of this disease.
  • People who use a lot of steroids, drugs and other high dosage of medicines will also suffer from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder: Causes

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder

Reformation of bone varies from person to person. Osteoporosis bone disorder occurs when there is no proper balance between the formation of new and old bones. There are several causes which lead to the development of osteoporosis. Few of the causes are:

  • Calcium plays a vital role in the formation of bones. When we consume fewer amounts of calcium then our bone tissues will suffer from osteoporosis
  • Lack of hormones is one of the major causes of osteoporosis. For example, lack of estrogen in women and lack of androgen in men
  • Thyroid problem is also one of the causes of osteoporosis
  • Excess consumption of alcohol
  • Consumption of caffeine in large amounts

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder: Diagnosis

Osteoporosis is a disease of bones which is diagnosed, only when a person suffers from a bone injury. X-ray of the fractured bone can reveal about osteoporosis, though it does not give the accurate loss of bone mass. One of the most popular methods for diagnosing osteoporosis is Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). This method will measure the density of the bones and compare with the actual range. This method is considered as a golden standard.

A T-score is provided to the patient. This score gives the comparison of his bone density with the actual density.

T-scores are set as follows:

  • Normal range bone density – 0 or minus 1
  • Lower bone density – Minus 1 to minus 2.5 (The patient has osteopenia and not osteoporosis)
  • Osteoporosis – Below minus 2.5

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder: Prevention

Prevention is always better than cure. In order to prevent osteoporosis we need to adopt few healthy habits.

  • Maintain a balanced diet chart which includes calcium rich and vitamin-D rich foods.
  • Perform regular work outs; this makes your bones stronger.
  • Walking and jogging are the best activities which makes our bones stronger.
  • Avoid smoking.
  • Reduce intake of caffeine and alcohol.

Osteoporosis Bone Disorder: Treatment

Any disease can be treated only when we know the exact cause of the disease. In similar way, we can treat osteoporosis bone disorder only when we know the exact cause of it.

Treatment of osteoporosis will not completely cure the disease, but it reduces the bone loss and strengthens our bones. Once after diagnosing osteoporosis you need to undergo certain medication which is prescribed by the doctor. Certain modifications in our lifestyle must be done like quitting smoking, consuming calcium and vitamin-D rich foods and reducing alcohol consumption. There are various health disasters with alcohol.

osd doctor

There are certain medications like calcitonin, boniva, zoledronate, raloxifene, fosamax, which not only reduces bone loss but also increases the strength of the bones. There are also other treatments like hormone replacement treatment, testosterone treatment, stem cell therapy and other vitamin – D and calcium supplements which can treat osteoporosis.

Bones will be changing continuously throughout our life. The old ones will be replaced by new bones. Osteoporosis bone disorder is a condition which creates imbalances between the old and new ones. So, it is always better to prevent osteoporosis by maintaining a healthy diet and performing regular exercises. Walking is one of the best ways to strengthen our bones, as there are healthy benefits with walking.

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