Med 2047 Osteoporosis Case Studies

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease that is characterized by structural deterioration of bone tissue and reduced bone mineral density(BMD). Consequences include increased pain, increased risk of fracture, loss of mobility, and death (Osteoporosis Canada 2014).

As generally stated in the introduction, osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder that involves the strength and integrity of one’s bones. The WHO defines osteoporosis as, “a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low-bone mass, deterioration of bone tissue, increased bone fragility, and its susceptibly to recurrent fractures.” 2 The most important factor to take into account when addressing osteoporosis is the mass of bone, also referred to as, bone mineral density (BMD). As bone mass begins to decline, typically in the older population, specifically postmenopausal women, individuals are at an increased risk for fractures.3 As a result of this serious condition, many people are affected by morbidity, mortality, and economic difficulty.1

Osteoporosis is when bones become weak or brittle, and have reduced mass. The bones in the human body are constantly renewing themselves, meaning, the old bone is replaced by new bone and then broken down. At a young age, the body makes new bone at a faster rate than it tears down old bone resulting in an increase of bone mass. However, at a older age, the body stops producing new bone and has to rely on the bone mass that was built up at a younger age.

A patient fall can be defined as an event that results in the patient coming to rest on the ground or other surface lower than the body. Falls not only have physical consequences, but also have financial and emotional consequences. Falls unfortunately lengthen their hospital stay resulting in an average increase of 6.3 days. Patient who experience a fall may also experience negative psychological affects and social consequences. The loss of self-confidence in ambulating safely may result in self-imposed functional limitations which can contribute to loss of independence, decreased quality of life, and even death. Inpatient falls are associated with a higher rate of discharges to extended care facilities, and extreme fear of falling has resulted in self-isolation and wheel-chair dependency.

Osteoporosis is one of the most common bone disease. It happens when the bones lose a great amount of their protein and mineral content, in particular calcium. This presents an increase in bone fragility and risk of fractures, it is responsible for millions of fractures annually. These fracture are the first sign of the disease, it can affect any bone.

Falls can have an overwhelming effect on legal, economical, ethical, and political situations. Many questions arise as to how to keep patients safe when they are at risk for falls. “A fall is described as a sudden, unintentional, downward movement of the body to the ground or other surface; when a patient falls, he or she is at risk of serious injury, disability, and possibly death” Huey-Ming, 2012). Falls happen during the day, afternoon, at night and do not subside do to the amount of staff. Falls happen when patients are ambulating, transferring, getting up without assistance, reaching for personal items, along with many different reasons. It is our job and duty as health care professionals to ensure patients remain safe during their hospital stay. As we learned in my previous literature review, patients that have had previous falls tend to fall more than those who do not, falls will increase the patients stay when there is or isn’t an injury obtained.

Many do not think about what makes bones so strong or even think about bones in general. To most bones are just apart of the skeleton, and hold the human body up. But what if the major bones in an individuals body became frail and began to brake from s simple fall? How would an individual maintain a normal life if their bones were susceptible to fracture from small forces? It seems like it would be nearly impossible however, with proper measures this disease referred to as osteoporosis is preventable and treatable. Various research studies have provided information on osteoporosis in order to inform the public of this growing disease to hopefully make people more aware of the simple prevention

There are several risk factors for osteoporosis. These factors can include sex, race and age. Bone mass of blacks tends to be higher. The white race bone mass is lower, while Asian Americans folded down in the middle. But African-American women during aging do not tend to lose bone weakness than the white women’s. The white women are more disposed to risk of this disease. White women aged 80 or older with calcium deficiency tend to have bone fracture. But men do not lose bone mass until age 70, taking into account the lifestyle of each individual.

Osteoporosis is caused by the reduction of bone density and quality; especially in the case of the spine, hips, and wrists. It is known as the” silent epidemic”, because this disease has so symptoms and is usually not noticed until a bone fracture occurs.

It's related to the loss of bone mass that happens as a natural and adverse biologic process with aging. It's most common in women who have gone through menopause. It is important for everyone to get enough calcium and vitamin D as either a child or as an adult , irrespective of gender, to have a bony structure strong enough, in order to sustain the imposed loads in various daily living situations. The other important factors to preserve the bone mass include doing regular proper exercises, daily exposure to enough sunlight, avoiding from some habits such as smoking and at the end using the medication, properly. As osteoporosis gets worse, it can lead to broken bones in the hip, spine, and wrist. Treatment can slow-down bone loss and increase bone thickness [6]. If left untreated, osteoporosis can have a profound impact on day-to-day life, such as pain, fractures and their complications

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition which bones become weak and brittle. Decreased mass is what makes the bones weak. Hormonal changes, lack of calcium, or vitamin D can cause this disorder. This disorder is commonly defined as “porous bone.” When the bone is affected by Osteoporosis, the holes in the honeycomb structure becomes larger and the overall density is lower than usual, which is why the bone is more likely to break. Some of the signs and symptoms are back pain that is caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra, loss of height over time, an incline posture, and a bone fracture that happens much more easily than expected. This disorder cannot be cured. Treatments for this are to get enough calcium and vitamin D. Medications can also

Diet recommendations should include increase protein intake because protein is a building block of bone tissue. Increased calcium intake is needing to make bone. After age 50, 1200mg of calcium are needed daily. Vitamin D is need to absorb calcium and may be need to be taken as a supplement. Maintaining a healthy body is encouraged because being underweight encourages bone loss. Quit smoking to prevent bone loss. More than two drinks of alcohol per day can decrease bone formation. Prevent falls by wearing low heeled shoes, keep rooms brightly lit, installing grab bars, removing rugs and tripping hazards, and ensure the patient can get in and out of bed easily (MC,

Osteoporosis is a major problem and accounts for about 1.5 million fractures in the United States every year. It also accounts for about 500,000 hospitalizations, 800,000 trips to the emergency room, 2.6 million trips to the doctor’s office and about 180,000 people being placed into nursing homes. This is such a costly disease that it currently reports costing Americans about 18 billion dollars each year.

In old age the consequences of bone loss are greater among women than among men, and the incidence of bone fractures is two-to-threefold

Bone disease is a silent disorder that may lead to pain and deformity. (NCBI, paragraph 1). NCBI resources mention that1.5 million osteoporotic fractures in the U.S leads to more than half a million of hospitalizations, about 800,000 emergency room encounters, about more than 2,600,000 physician office visits, and about 180,000 individuals are placed into nursing homes. (NCBI, paragraph 2), Caring for fractures from bone disease is expensive, ranging from $12 to $18 billion per year in 2002 and will increase over the years causing individuals and their families a devastating impact. (NCBI paragraph3). Some die from bone disease, many spirals downward in their physical and mental health that result in death, especially during the first year after the fracture. (NCBI, paragraph 4). People who suffer from fractures experience severe pain, height loss, lose the ability to dress themselves, stand up, and walk causing them to be at risk of pressure sores pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. (NCBI, paragraph 5)