OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is a disease marked by thinning of the bones, making them brittle and more vulnerable to spontaneous fractures.  The disease affects some twenty million people in the United States.  After the age of forty-five, it is nine times more common in women than men.  Older persons are more susceptible than middle-aged people, and whites/Orientals more than blacks.  Fair-haired, fair-skinned people are particularly vulnerable.  Osteoporosis tends to run in families; a person who has a close relative with the disease is likely to develop it later in life.  Osteoporosis is irreversible after a certain stage.  However, with treatment, its progression can be halted or at least slowed down.  You may already have osteoporosis or be at risk of getting it; in either case, there is a lot you can learn and do about the disease.

Bone Changes: Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and rebuilt in very complex ways, even in adults.  Bones require calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus; the availability and use of these substances by the skeleton is regulated by hormones and physical stress on the ends of the bones is necessasary to help them form and grow.  The contribution made by calcium in association with vitamin D seems to be the most important factor in this process.  The absorption of calcium into bone in women is ultimately dependent upon the hormone estrogen.  Some degree of bone loss is an inevitable consequence of aging.  In people with osteoporosis however, the rate of bone loss considerably exceeds that of bone formation.

Causes: Exactly what causes the increased bone loss due to osteoporosis is unknown.  However, there appears to be many contributing factors, including hormonal imbalances, which affect the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and the decrease in estrogen production in menopausal women.  Almost one in four postmenopausal women has osteoporosis: the disease also develops early in women who have had a premature menopause due to surgical removal of the ovaries.  Women with small bones appear to be particularly susceptible to this disease.  Other factors relating to an individual's life-style may have an effect on the development of osteoporosis.  Prolonged bed rest, immobilization and inactivity promote bone loss in young people and to an even greater extent, in the elderly.  Inadequate nutrition, including a diet lacking in calcium, vitamin D, and protein, is also thought to contribute to the onset of the disease.