Osteoporosis: The Silent Disease

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).

Osteoporosis is a detrimental bone condition, the tissue in the bones deteriorate and thus the bones become progressively brittle which presents a risk for rupture. Osteoporosis impacts more than 44 million Americans and is linked to a suggested 2 million bone fractures each year. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the amount of fissures due to osteoporosis may escalate above 3 million by the year 2025. Osteoporosis is typically undetected and advances with slight warning signs until a fissure ensues. Effects of osteoporosis encompass height reduction and a curved upper back, anyone can have osteoporosis, however it is prevalent in elderly women and many may break a bone due to this condition. Recovery and prevention are vital in combating osteoporosis, though it may never be eradicated one can take measures to stabilize bone density and gain strength.

Osteoporosis, meaning porous bone from the Greek language, is bone disease that gradually and steadily wears down bone tissue and its living cells. This wearing down will eventually cause the cells of bone tissue to degrade and die, leaving their “scaffolding” to be the only things only bone together. Without living cells to take up a home in this scaffolding, minor injuries such as falls, bumping into objects, and pressure that would normally be completely and would not pose any threat to bone tissue suddenly becomes a real hazard that can easily pose a threat to one’s well-being. Osteoporosis affects a person skeletal system.

Osteoporosis is a disorder of bones that affects bones making them low in bone mass fragile and will lead to bone fracture. Bone fracture will easily occur as this disease cause the matrix inside the bone become weak and brittle.Bones can become so brittle due to activities such as coughing can cause fractures.According to Macgill (2015) the origin of the word osteoporosis explain the condition of ‘osteo’ is for bone and ‘porosis’ means porous that resulting in weakness. At this condition, the bone tissue is mineralized normally, but the production is not enough to preserve the normal skeletal architecture. 80% of women and 20% men of 28 million American are affected with the osteoporosis. Approximately, women with the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis. Thin bones are the cause of 1.5 million fractures a year. As in Malaysia, the statistic shows that osteoporosis related to fractured is the common health problem especially in elderly..

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 a medical condition in which the bones become brittle from the loss of tissue, generally as a result of specific changes. Risk factors that take part in the disease are things such as unchangeable risks like sex, age, race, family history and the size of the individual. Other risk factors include hormone levels and medication as well as dietary factors and life choices. Life choices that play a role are sedentary lifestyle these are people who spend a lot of time sitting have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts, weight-bearing exercise is beneficial for your bones to ensure the bone remolding cycle ensures them to grow strong (MayoClinic, 2013). Common symptoms that one should take into

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the bones generally brought on by the process of aging, unfortunately there can also be a number of underlying or secondary causes; however, preventative care and drug treatments can minimize the severity of this prevalent disease. Osteoporosis has been estimated to affect more than 200 million people worldwide (Bethel, 2015). According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 9.9 million Americans have osteoporosis and an additional 43.1 million have low bone density.

Osteoporosis is an age related disorder, more common in females compared to males. Osteoporosis is defined as a “skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to increased risk of fractures (Manolagaas, 2014). Osteoporosis is defined as “a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue (What is osteoporosis?2014). Osteoporosis is sometimes also referred as “silent thief” as the bone loss occurs very slowly and silently without any symptoms (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). The most common site for fracture due to osteoporosis is hip followed by humerus (Woltman & den Hoed, 2010) . Osteoporosis can occur at any age, although it is a disorder common in females (especially post-menopausal females). Everyone is prone to osteoporosis (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). According to Osteoporosis Canada, 1 in 3 Canadian females and 1 in 5 Canadian males may suffer fractures due to osteoporosis during their lifetime (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). Canadian health care system spends 1.2 billion dollars for the acute hospitalization caused by osteoporosis and in 2010 the health care system spent 3.9 billion dollars for the total treatment of osteoporosis (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). Osteoporosis can be screened and diagnosed by various methods; however the dual energy x ray absorptiometry (DXA) is commonly used. If the T-score values are less than -1 and greater than -2.5SD it is termed as osteopenia,

Osteoporosis is a condition involving the thinning of bones(bone demineralisation), leaving them brittle and more susceptible to fracture. 99% of calcium is stored in the bones, so sufficient calcium is important in order to maintain or reach peak bone mass(PBM). Osteoporosis mainly effects the older population, with 19.8 million people over the age of 50 in the UK.

396). When blood calcium needs to be replenished, the trabecular bone gives up minerals. The loss of trabecular bone is significantly apparent in men and women in their 30s. However, the trabecular bone can start to desintegrate whenever calcium withdrawals exceed deposits. Furthermore, cortical bone also gives up calcium, however this occurs at a slower and steadier pace. The cortical bone begins to give up ususally around someone in their 40s. Therefore, as bone loss continues, bone density begins to decline, which causes osteoporosis to become apparent. For instance, "Bones become so fragil that even the body's own weight can overburden the spine - vertebrae may suddenly disintegrate and crush down, painfully pinching major nerves" (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, p. 396). Nonmodifiable risk factors for osteoporosis tend to occur in the older age, female gender, smaller frame Caucasian, Asian, or Hispanic/Latino. In addition, it occurs in people with family history of osteoporosis or fractures. However, modifiable risk factors include, sedentary lifestyle, diet inadequare in clacium and vitamin D, diet excessive in protein, sodium, caffeine, cigarrette smoking, alcohole abuse and low

Older adults with low bone density are at significant risk of getting Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is known as a systemic skeletal disease with the characteristics of low bone mass and micro architectural deterioration of bone tissues [1]. Osteoporosis is usually diagnosed by testing an individual bone mass density. A score of -1.0 or above is the normal state an individual wants to get as a result after he or she takes the DXA-test (an instrument used to measure bone density). Anything below -1.0 and -2.5 means the individual has low bone density and should do something about it. Osteoporosis increases a person chances of bone fracture due to bone fragility. Bone mass density decreases as people age making osteoporosis more prevalent among older individuals [2]. In the US, there are more than 2 million fractures occurs annually as a result of osteoporosis, including 550,000 vertebral fractures and 300,000 hip fractures [3, 4]. Hospitalization, long-term care, impaired quality of life, disability and death are usually the events that occur after Osteoporotic fractures in older adults [5]. Osteoporosis is a viral disease that takes freedom away from older adults. It puts fear in older adult’s everyday life, which then leads to them not living their lives to the fullest like they would like to because they are afraid of breaking a bone or two which would lead to expensive medical bills. This limits the activities they can participate in or just makes them antisocial because if they aren’t going outside to “play”, they’ll be alone inside their room which could lead to depression and a very

Osteoporosis is often called “the silent disease” as bone loss occurs without any symptoms, many people might not have a clue that they have osteoporosis until they face a fracture from a minor trauma or fall, or a vertebra collapses. Physical signs include back ache, loss of height over period, curved posture, and ruptures of vertebrae, wrists, or hips. Osteoporosis can be spotted by a bone mineral density test or even a regular x ray. Without preventive treatment, women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the first five to seven years following menopause, making them more vulnerable to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which bones become brittle and fragile as a result of tissue loss. Causes of osteoporosis include hormonal changes, deficiency of vitamin D, and, most commonly, deficiency of calcium. Bones affected by osteoporosis are easily fractured, and such fracturing most often occurs in the hip, wrist, or spine. Under normal circumstances, bone tissue is constantly being broken down and subsequently replaced by the human body; however, osteoporosis prevents the creation of new bone. As a result, a net loss of bone tissue occurs since no new tissue is available to replace the old tissue. With age, bone mass loss increases faster than does bone mass creation. There is currently no known cure for the disease. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is described by the NHS as “a condition that weakens bones” and is fairly common, affecting roughly 3 million, with more than 300,000 people receiving treatment each year. Fractures are extremely common as the weakened bones are more susceptible to damage, even coughing may cause vertebral damage. Osteoporosis can be classified as type I or II, “both type I and type II osteoporosis occur through an imbalance between total skeletal bone formation and bone resorption which is sustained over many years” (Theobald, 2005), and are related to a lack of vitamin

Osteoporosis is a devastating bone disease in which bones become porous and brittle and are more susceptible to fractures; according to Johnell O and Kanis JA (2006), “Worldwide, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds.” Osteoporosis is the result of several factors including diet and lifestyle choices, age, disease and medications, but the underlying cause is due to bone loss occurring faster than the body can replace it.