7 Common FAQ’S on Bone Diseases
Bones are tissues containing calcium and minerals. They are required to aid in movement, and to support the body.
Diseases tend to remove essential nutrients from the bones that are important. It also causes the bones to break and become weak.
Sometimes there can also be excess of calcium causing excess growth and thereby leading to abnormalities.
As the density of the bones reduces, a person starts to become weak.
1. What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis occurs when the quality and density of the bone has reduced. People tend to incur fractures as bones become more porous and fragile.
Bone loss is a progressive and silent process. You may not even realise until your first fracture.
As and when old bones are broken down new ones are formed.
Hips, wrists, and spinal bones are some of the more common bones prone to fractures.
2. What are The Risk Factors for Osteoporosis?
Women are at a greater risk of getting this disease due to hormonal changes caused in the body during the period of menopause.
From the age of 40, bone tissue loss in the body begins to increase at a faster rate. The body cannot replace bone tissue as quickly as it loses it.
However, in females, after menopause, estrogen production stops and thus bones no longer have its protective effects.
Caption: Osteoporosis makes your bones weak
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Risk factors associated with osteoporosis include:
Family history of fractures resulting from minor falls
Frequent falls
Long-term enforced bed rest
Reduced physical activity
Low body weight
Loss in height
Periods stop for more than 12 months
3. How Common is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a global healthcare problem.
One of the most common and debilitating chronic diseases in the world, one in every five men and one in every three women above the age of 50 are affected.
Although more common in older people, osteoporosis can sometimes affect younger people.
4. How Do I Know I Have Osteoporosis?
It is necessary to consult a doctor when someone feels too weak as there are no clear symptoms other than a fracture for osteoporosis.
The doctor takes a thorough examination, including information on recent fractures and suggests taking a bone mineral density (BMD) test.
Of all the different BMD tests there, the most accurate is the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
It is a low radiation X-ray capable of detecting low percentages of bone loss within the body.
5. How Can I Prevent Weak Bones?
Heredity plays a major role in determining whether you will be at a greater risk of osteoporosis.
Certain lifestyle activities also play a key role in helping to build and maintain strong bones.
Good exercise and healthy eating habits in childhood and maintaining these habits as you age is the best way to help prevent weak bones.
Ensure that you get enough calcium and vitamin D every day, have a healthy diet, do regular weight-bearing exercises, quit smoking, and drink limited alcohol.
6. How Can Kids Build Their Bones?
Ensure that your children get enough calcium and vitamin D, so they can build strong bones while young.
They must be encouraged to have a balanced diet high in proteins and other minerals.
Milk and different dairy foods are the richest and most readily available sources of calcium.
It is also necessary to educate them about the importance of weight-bearing exercises, effects of smoking and excessive alcohol on bones.
Caption: It is necessary to have a good diet and healthy lifestyle
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7. What Are The Treatments For Osteoporosis?
There are lots of effective treatment options that are available that act quickly to maintain bone density and reduce risk of having fractures.
The choice of treatment to be undergone must be tailored to a patient’s specific medical needs and lifestyle.
To ensure adequate intake and maximum effectiveness of the drug therapy, calcium and vitamin D supplements are usually prescribed.
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