20 October is World Osteoporosis Day, calling for global action to help improve bone health and prevent fractures caused by this condition that, much too often, is diagnosed too late to make a difference. Osteoporosis is a growing problem around the world affecting one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50. Fractures caused by osteoporosis can have a devastating impact, not only on the sufferer but on costs to society and healthcare systems. And yet despite effective medical advances, only 10% of women with fractures will receive osteoporosis therapy. In 2010 in Europe alone it was estimated that 12.3 million high-risk patients were left untreated. Increased awareness is undoubtedly the key, both among the medical profession and among patients who should look out for the early warning signs and make lifestyle choices to help prevent osteoporosis from defining their old age.
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens the bones making them fragile and consequently more likely to break or fracture. The condition doesn’t come on suddenly but develops over a period of time. Bones are at their thickest and strongest early on in your adult life. We gradually start to lose bone density around the age of 35. This happens to everyone but for some it happens much more quickly. The condition currently affects over 44 million in the US and more than 3 million in the UK.
If your doctor suspects Osteoporosis, you may be referred for further assessment or a scan which measures your bone density. Tests may reveal you are instead suffering from Osteopenia which indicates a decrease in bone density but is not enough to be classed as Osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis treatment centres around preventing further fractures and using medication to strengthen bones. Your treatment plan will depend on many factors such as your age, previous history of injury and your risk of further fractures. Current treatments include Bisphosphonates which are designed to slow down the rate the bone is broken down in your body. Some patients are offered SERMs (Selective Oestrogen Receptor Modulators) which act like the oestrogen hormone in helping to maintain bone density. Parathyroid hormone treatments are also offered to stimulate cells to create new bone, as is HRT (Hormone Therapy treatment) to women going through the menopause.
While our genes are responsible for determining the height and strength of our skeleton, it is most commonly our lifestyle choices which influence the health of our bones. There are a lot of lifestyle changes we can make to stave off or hopefully prevent the onset of this debilitating condition:
If, having read this blog, you suspect you could be a potential Osteoporosis sufferer, contact your doctor to see what action can be taken to help prevent the condition getting worse. You can also enter your symptoms into the Isabel Symptom Checker and discuss the results with your doctor.