Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a silent, progressive disease that causes your bones to weaken and can lead to fractures. Hip and spine fractures have serious consequences, causing disability and severe pain. Hip fractures usually require major surgery.
Historically, osteoporosis was difficult to diagnose until a fracture occurred. Today, we are more aware of osteoporosis and how to prevent, detect and treat osteoporosis.
This page contains the following information about osteoporosis:
- Facts About Osteoporosis
- Risk Factors
- Reducing the Risk
- Imaging Exams for Detecting Osteoporosis
- Radiology Procedures for Treating Osteoporosis
- Additional Information
Facts About Osteoporosis
While women are four times more likely than men to suffer from osteoporosis, men may develop it as well.
Here are some additional facts about osteoporosis:
- Osteoporosis is highly preventable.
- Half of all women and one quarter of all men over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime.
- The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 8 million women and 2 million men in the U.S. have osteoporosis, and 34 million more people have low bone mass, increasing their risk of developing osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis affects people of all ethnic backgrounds; however, Caucasians and Asians have a higher risk.
- While there are several FDA approved medications for preventing and treating osteoporosis, none can completely prevent fractures.
- Osteoporosis is the underlying cause of more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including 300,000 hip fractures, about 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and more than 300,000 other fractures.
Risk Factors
Osteoporosis progresses painlessly, so most individuals do not know they have it until they suffer a fracture. By realizing your level of risk, you can take appropriate measure to prevent or minimize the impact of osteoporosis.
Following are some risk factors that can make a person more vulnerable to osteoporosis. Speak with your primary healthcare provider about your risk level and preventative measures you can take.
- Being female
- Being Caucasian or Asian
- Advanced age
- Personal history of fracture after age 50 unassociated with a significant trauma
- Family history of osteoporosis
- Current low bone density
- History of fracture in a first-degree relative
- Current cigarette smoking
- Low body weight (less than 127 pounds) or having a small frame
- Estrogen deficiency (past menopause or early menopause before age 45)
- Excessive alcohol consumption (more than 2 drinks per day)
- Low lifelong calcium intake
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Poor health or frailty
- Inadequate physical activity
- Long term use of steroid medication and some anticonvulsants
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Low testosterone levels in men
Reducing the Risk
The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to build strong bones during childhood and adolescence. However, later in life there are measures you can take to reduce your risk of osteoporosis.
- Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
- Weight-bearing exercise
- Stop smoking
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Bone density testing and medication when appropriate
Imaging Exams for Detecting Osteoporosis
Bone density tests are safe, painless and quick tests that can measure bone strength and predict fracture risk before you develop osteoporosis, so prevention therapy can be started. Bone density tests are also used to determine if particular medications are improving bone density and strength over time. Your doctor may need to order a bone density test from Invision Sally Jobe to determine if you have osteoporosis or low bone mass.
Radiology Procedures for Treating Osteoporosis
There are no radiology procedures for treating osteoporosis; however, there are radiology procedures that may minimize the painful effects of osteoporosis.
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are both minimally-invasive ways to treat the pain associated with compression fractures in the spine, which may be caused by osteoporosis. The procedures can also prevent further collapse of the spine, thereby preventing height loss and spine curvatures that are a common result of osteoporosis.
Pain management may be used to control pain that is not relieved by other methods. Pain management techniques can stop chronic pain by blocking nerve signals between the affected area and the brain. Blocking is achieved through image-guided injections of local anesthetics, steroids, or narcotics into affected soft tissues, joints, or nerve roots.
Additional Information
The information on this page was taken in part from the following sources. Visit the listed web sites for additional information on osteoporosis.
