Testing your bone health and learning about your family history can be the first step to protecting yourself and future generations from osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis means porous bones. It occurs when you lose too much bone, make too little bone or a combination of both of these factors.Weak bones can break even from a minor fall and in severe cases, from minor exertions like sneezing or bumping into furniture.
If you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, it means your bones have lost strength and that the structure of your bone tissue has become abnormal.
Breaking a bone is a serious complication of osteoporosis, especially when you’re older. Fractures are most likely to occur in the hip, spine and wrist.They can cause severe pain that may not go away. Osteoporosis also causes some people to lose height.When osteoporosis leads to fracture of the spine, it affects posture and can cause you to become stooped or hunched.
Osteoporosis may keep you from getting around easily and doing the things you enjoy, which may bring feelings of isolation or depression. It can also lead to other health problems.Twenty percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year from problems related to the broken bone itself or the surgery to repair it. Many of those who survive need long-term nursing home care.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), about 10 million individuals in the U.S. today have osteoporosis and another 34 million have low bone density, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis and broken bones. In fact, a woman’s risk of breaking a hip is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.
Despite these statistics, 94 percent of mothers and daughters recently surveyed by NOF admitted that they are not concerned with osteoporosis as a health condition and only 26 percent have spoken with one another about the disease. With up to one in four men at risk of suffering a broken bone due to osteoporosis, both men and women need to become better educated about the risks of osteoporosis.
You may be at risk of osteoporosis if you are:
— age 50 or older
— female, but the number of men with osteoporosis remains underdiagnosed and underreported
— menopausal
— have a family history of osteoporosis
— have a low body weight/being small and thin
— have experienced broken bones or height loss
Start a conversation within your family today to help identify your risk of osteoporosis and better protect your family members in the future:
Talk with family members and loved ones about bone health, calcium, vitamin D, exercise and other ways to prevent osteoporosis.
Asking your doctor about osteoporosis risk factors and when to have a bone density test.
Commit to getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and bone healthy exercise every day. Check with your doctor to determine what supplements are right for you.
Your doctor is your best source of information about osteoporosis and can help to determine if you are at risk. Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are steps you can take to prevent, slow, or stop its progress. If you are diagnosed, there are medications available to reduce the risk of broken bones by helping to slow or stop bone loss and, in some cases, to rebuild bone.
Many people can live well with osteoporosis and avoid breaking bones in the first place. But if you have had fractures, it’s important to learn about the steps you can take to maintain a good quality of life, and to protect your family in the future.
Dr. Patel is on staff at Raritan Bay Medical Center, with offices in Old Bridge and South Amboy. She is board certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism and Internal Medicine. The medical center recently became an affiliate of the Joslin Diabetes Center, the world’s preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization, to provide the latest advances in diabetes treatment, patient education and support services. Dr. Patel is fluent in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu. To make an appointment, call 732-360-4070 or 1-800-DOCTORS.