Osteoporosis Management
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Osteoporosis Management
Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones become weak& brittle. As a consequence, even minor stresses like bending or coughing can give you a fracture. Osteoporosis related fractures usually develop in the wrist, hip, or spine. Bone is living tissue that constantly breaks down & is replaced. When the creation of new bone does not keep up with the loss of old bone, it leads to Osteoporosis.
It can affect men & women irrespective of race. Women after menopause are more prone to this disorder. It is very necessary to consult with an orthopedic doctor for osteoporosis management for preventing bone loss. Sometimes, taking a healthy diet, medication, and weight-bearing exercise can strengthen weak bones. Hence, make sure you are consulting with a doctor to take early steps.
- Aging: As we know our bones are in a constant state of renewal. New bone is made and old bone is broken. When we are at a young age, the development of new bone is much faster than break down, and that’s how your bone mass gets increased. After the early 20s, this process slows down & many people reach peak bone mass by the age of 30. As the people age, then bone mass is lost faster than its creation.
- Peak Bone Mass: Osteoporosis also depends partly on how much bone mass you gained at the time of youth. Peak bone is somewhat inherited & it varies according to ethnic group. White and Asian including Indian women are at highest risk.
- Body habitus: Small thin boned women are at higher risk of osteoporosis.
- Sedentary Lifestyle: Those who do less physical activities and spend lots of time sitting, are more prone to osteoporosis
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Regular consumption of more than two alcoholic drink in a day is certainly not good as it can increase the chances of this disorder
- Tobacco Usage:Cigarette smoking is known to worsen the quality of bones
- Diet: Low Vitamin D and Calcium are associated with weak bones
- Drugs:Steroids and some anti seizure medications are associated with osteoporosis
- Medical diseases: Inflammatory arthritis like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory bowel disease, liver and kidney disease and cancer can also lead to osteoporosis.
Typically, there are no symptoms in the early stage of bone loss. But once your bone is weakened by osteoporosis, then you may see some signs like-
- A Stooped posture
- Loss of height over time
- Back Pain which is caused by collapsed vertebra or fracture
- A bone that breaks more easily than you can think of
Diagnosing osteoporosis is of paramount importance before deciding how to treat it. The most common test used to evaluate osteoporosis is Bone Mineral Densitometry (BMD) using DEXA scan. If the diagnosis is still inconclusive, FRAX score (Fracture Risk Assessment Score) is a tool used worldwide to calculate the 10 year risk of having a major osteoporotic and hip fracture. Nevertheless, if someone has already sustained a fracture due to weak bones/ aging, it is concluded to be secondary to osteoporosis unless proven otherwise.
Osteoporosis can be managed easily if you take some early steps. Doctors advise taking protein rich diet along with Calcium and Vitamin-D supplementation to prevent this problem. Also doing exercise may help in strengthening the bones and hence reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Exposing yourself to sunlight in day replenishes Vit D level in body and also helps in avoiding it.It is also advisable not to smoke or drink excessive alcohol.
When the problem is out of hands, then there is dire need to take effective treatment to avoid secondary fractures. Drugs used to treat osteoporosis can be those that stop bone resorption (antiresorptives) like Bisphosphonates(Alendronate, Ibandronate and Zoledronate); Biologics (Denosumab); Calcitonin and Hormonal (Raloxifene). The other class of medication is the one that stimulate bone formation (anabolics)like Teriparatide.
Dr. Anuj Chawla has an extensive experience in providing Osteoporosis treatment. He has worked in Singapore for 7 years which has one of the highest life expectancy and hence a very high incidence of osteoporosis. He has adopted the treatment strategies from OPTIMAL(Osteoporosis Patient Targeted and Integrated Management for Active Living)program– a secondary fracture prevention program started in public hospitals in Singapore. He has used all the medicines used for osteoporosis and is well versed with their benefits as well as side effects.
- + Causes
-
- Aging: As we know our bones are in a constant state of renewal. New bone is made and old bone is broken. When we are at a young age, the development of new bone is much faster than break down, and that’s how your bone mass gets increased. After the early 20s, this process slows down & many people reach peak bone mass by the age of 30. As the people age, then bone mass is lost faster than its creation.
- Peak Bone Mass: Osteoporosis also depends partly on how much bone mass you gained at the time of youth. Peak bone is somewhat inherited & it varies according to ethnic group. White and Asian including Indian women are at highest risk.
- Body habitus: Small thin boned women are at higher risk of osteoporosis.
- Sedentary Lifestyle: Those who do less physical activities and spend lots of time sitting, are more prone to osteoporosis
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Regular consumption of more than two alcoholic drink in a day is certainly not good as it can increase the chances of this disorder
- Tobacco Usage:Cigarette smoking is known to worsen the quality of bones
- Diet: Low Vitamin D and Calcium are associated with weak bones
- Drugs:Steroids and some anti seizure medications are associated with osteoporosis
- Medical diseases: Inflammatory arthritis like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory bowel disease, liver and kidney disease and cancer can also lead to osteoporosis.
- + Symptoms
-
Typically, there are no symptoms in the early stage of bone loss. But once your bone is weakened by osteoporosis, then you may see some signs like-
- A Stooped posture
- Loss of height over time
- Back Pain which is caused by collapsed vertebra or fracture
- A bone that breaks more easily than you can think of
- + Diagnosis
-
Diagnosing osteoporosis is of paramount importance before deciding how to treat it. The most common test used to evaluate osteoporosis is Bone Mineral Densitometry (BMD) using DEXA scan. If the diagnosis is still inconclusive, FRAX score (Fracture Risk Assessment Score) is a tool used worldwide to calculate the 10 year risk of having a major osteoporotic and hip fracture. Nevertheless, if someone has already sustained a fracture due to weak bones/ aging, it is concluded to be secondary to osteoporosis unless proven otherwise.
- + Treatment
-
Osteoporosis can be managed easily if you take some early steps. Doctors advise taking protein rich diet along with Calcium and Vitamin-D supplementation to prevent this problem. Also doing exercise may help in strengthening the bones and hence reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Exposing yourself to sunlight in day replenishes Vit D level in body and also helps in avoiding it.It is also advisable not to smoke or drink excessive alcohol.
When the problem is out of hands, then there is dire need to take effective treatment to avoid secondary fractures. Drugs used to treat osteoporosis can be those that stop bone resorption (antiresorptives) like Bisphosphonates(Alendronate, Ibandronate and Zoledronate); Biologics (Denosumab); Calcitonin and Hormonal (Raloxifene). The other class of medication is the one that stimulate bone formation (anabolics)like Teriparatide.
Dr. Anuj Chawla has an extensive experience in providing Osteoporosis treatment. He has worked in Singapore for 7 years which has one of the highest life expectancy and hence a very high incidence of osteoporosis. He has adopted the treatment strategies from OPTIMAL(Osteoporosis Patient Targeted and Integrated Management for Active Living)program– a secondary fracture prevention program started in public hospitals in Singapore. He has used all the medicines used for osteoporosis and is well versed with their benefits as well as side effects.
