Osteoporosis is a fairly well-known bone disease in which bone mass or density is lost and bones become extremely fragile, breaking easily. Osteopenia is a less-known bone disease characterized by low bone density and bone weakness that has not progressed to actual loss of bone density.
Who Suffers from Bone Loss?
Osteoporosis and osteopenia are not just diseases of elderly Caucasian women, a common misconception, either. The fact is that both men and women of all races are at risk of developing these types of bone disease.Falls and Fractures
If you've ever known someone over age 50 who’s fallen down or experienced a broken bone, the chances are very good that this person had osteopenia or osteoporosis. In fact, anytime a person, over age 50, falls, they should inform their health care provider. Falling or breaking a bone is often the first sign that bone disease is present. The painful fact is that every year in the U.S. one and one-half million people in the over-fifty age group experience a bone fracture caused by bone disease.Individuals with osteoporosis, who experience a fracture, frequently suffer a decline in both physical and mental health that can lead to reduced quality of life and even death, in some cases. In fact, during the first year following a broken bone the risk of death increases substantially. Imagine how you might feel if you were forced to submit to having someone help you with the simple, everyday tasks, such as dressing, that we often take for granted. For many individuals this is difficult, and time after time, the loss of independence caused by osteoporosis leads to a loss of self-esteem and body image, as well as other mood changes including depression and anxiety.
Diagnosing Bone Loss is Simple and Painless
It’s not hard to find out if either osteopenia or osteoporosis is present; the truth is that diagnosis is simple and painless. The primary test for diagnosing these bone diseases is a bone density test. Bone density testing takes only a few minutes to perform, but having this test performed can save a great deal of pain later by discovering bone disease early enough for effective treatment to begin.Bone Loss Treatments
While generations before us may not have been able to do much about their bone diseases, we are fortunate to have several new prescription medications that offer both treatment and prevention benefits. Today’s medications for age-related bone disease not only treat bone loss or weakness by helping to rebuild bone mass, they also help to prevent further progression of osteoporosis or osteopenia diseases.
Preventing Bone Loss
There are other, non-pharmacological, steps that everyone, of all ages, can take to help prevent these, painful and often incapacitating, types of bone disease. Like many other diseases and conditions, making a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle, that begins as early as possible, to- eating a healthy diet that follows the food pyramid established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
- getting plenty (at least thirty minutes on several days of the week)of regular physical activity,
- and having regular physicals examinations, on a schedule determined on an individual basis,
significantly reduces the risk that bone disease, as well as numerous other diseases including cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancer, will ever develop.
Taking steps to prevent, or diagnose, bone loss early helps to prevent not only the devastating physical pain that is prevalent in bone loss, but also helps prevent the emotional pain and loss of independence that is often present in patients with bone disease. Do yourself and your family a favor and start taking steps today to ensure a physically and mentally healthy older age.
Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2004. Accessed 07/18/06
