Osteoporosis - Description
Osteoporosis is a serious health problem. About 28 million people in the United States have the condition. It is responsible for about 1.5 million fractures (broken bones) each year. The most common locations where breaks occur are the hip, spine, and wrist. Hip and spine injuries are the most serious. They often require hospitalization and major surgery. They may also lead to other serious consequences, including permanent disability and death.
- Alendronate:
- A drug used to treat osteoporosis in women who have passed through menopause.
- Calcitonin:
- A drug used to treat osteoporosis in women who have passed through menopause.
- Calcium:
- An essential mineral with many important functions in the body, one of which is in the formation of bone.
- Computed tomography (CT) scan:
- A diagnostic technique in which a specific region of the body is X-rayed from many angles. A computer then combines the various X-ray photographs.
- Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan:
- Another name for a computed tomography (CT) scan.
- Densitometry:
- A technique for measuring the density of bone by taking photographs with low-energy X rays from a variety of angles around the bone.
- Estrogen:
- A female hormone with many functions in the body, one of which is to keep bones strong.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT):
- A method of treating osteoporosis by giving supplementary doses of estrogen and/or other female hormones.
- Menopause:
- The period in a woman's life when she stops menstruating.
- Protein:
- A type of chemical compound with many essential functions in the body, one of which is to build bones.
- Resorption:
- The process by which the elements of bone are removed from bone and returned to the body.
To understand osteoporosis, it is helpful to understand how bones form. Bone is living tissue that is constantly renewed in a two-stage process. The first stage is formation. During formation, new bone tissue is built up from nutrients present in the bloodstream. The second stage is resorption. In this stage, bone cells break down. The elements of which are returned to the blood and other body fluids.
For about the first thirty years of life, bone formation takes place faster than resorption. Bones grow to be larger and stronger during this period. After middle age, resorption takes place faster and bones become smaller and weaker.
Osteoporosis is a continuation of this process. The balance between resorption and formation becomes very one-sided. Almost no new bone is formed, but bone continues to be removed. When bones are made smaller and weaker by this mechanism, the process is called primary osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis can also occur in another way. Some drugs and diseases can increase the rate at which resorption occurs. The end result is the same: bones become smaller and weaker. In this case, however, the process is called secondary osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis occurs most commonly in older people. It affects nearly half of all men and women over the age of seventy-five. Women are five times more likely than men to develop the condition. They have smaller, weaker bones to begin with, so resorption of bone material in women's bodies has a greater effect than in men's bodies.
Another important factor in osteoporosis is menopause. Menopause is the period in a woman's life when she stops menstruating. During this period, she also stops producing the hormone estrogen. Estrogen helps prevent the resorption of bone. As levels of estrogen fall in a woman's body, she is at greater risk for osteoporosis.
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