Osteoporosis is a gradual weakening of bone that can lead to a fracture (break) of bone with very little stress to the area. For example, if a person falls off a chair or falls to the ground from a standing position, there should not be enough force for a bone to break. However, if a bone is fragile it is much more likely to break in these situations. The danger from breaking a weakened bone is that it is very difficult to heal compared to a healthy bone and this puts a significant stress on the body.
After a bone with osteoporosis breaks, people are often hospitalized and become very vulnerable to infection and other complications. This can result in the person not being able to return to their past activities of daily living and in fact the rate of fatality within the year after a fracture is quite high. For this reason, it is very important to prevent fracture.
Excellent preventative treatments exist and should be discussed with your health care provider. People with inflammatory arthritis or inflammatory bowel diseases have an increased risk of osteoporosis and should have their bones assessed. Prednisone use can also greatly increase the risk of osteoporosis. For more information, please speak to your healthcare provider.
Carolyn Whiskin is the Pharmacy Manager for Charlton Health. Carolyn specializes in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, pharmaceutical compounding, women’s health, pain and smoking cessation. Carolyn has won provincial and national awards for her commitment to patient care and public service.