It's funny how you can go through life not knowing about certain things, and Osteoporosis is one of those things for me.
Yes I'd heard the name before, but until you actually know someone who suffers with this terrible condition it's hard to even guess what some people go through.
Now I'm not a medical person, although I do have an interest in Alternative Medicine.
So I decided to check out using my inquisitive mind, and not to sound like a complete ignoramus.
I decided to do some homework, and find out what it entailed.
I knew it was something to do with brittle bones so I set off on a world of discovery.
I found out that Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone, which the mineral density of the bone breaks down, or is drastically reduced.
The collagen part of the bone, or the protein part is altered which means that people with Osteoporosis are more at risk with bone fractures.
It only takes a small amount of stress to the bone, which will then fracture quite easily, as against a normal healthy person who would not be in the same trouble.
Who's at risk? Older men can suffer with Osteoporosis, but the majority of postmenopausal women are the main ones to suffer.
This is due to the lack of certain hormones, or due to certain medication, or even smoking can cause the onset of the disease.
In most cases Osteoporosis occurs in the wrist, the hips, or the spine.
With the spine the vertebra tends to collapse causing severe pain in the back, which also then travels down the legs, and can even cause numbness in the toes.
Generally people tend to hunched up, as the spine no longer supports them as it should.
But when people get Osteoporosis in the hips, and a fracture occurs this is when most problems occur.
In normal circumstances the patient would have to be operated on immediately because of the risk of Deep vein thrombosis, and a pulmonary embolism.
In a lot of cases if someone in your family suffered when they were older, there's a good chance that you might suffer as well.
There are also a lot of things that can contribute to getting Osteoporosis.
I have already mentioned Smoking, and another one is too large an intake of alcohol.
A few others I should mention: First the prolonged intake of the drug Prednisone, or any other glucocortioid.
Someone with a low body fat is at risk, or someone with a low calcium intake, or a low intake of vitamin D.
Another theory is the large intake of soft drinks, which contain phosphoric acid, which in modern times tends to replace drinks with calcium (Milk etc) Facts, and figures.
People who remain physically active throughout life have a lower risk of osteoporosis.
Conversely, people who are bedridden are at a significantly increased risk.
Although it has to be mentioned that a lot marathon runners develop Osteoporosis when they are older, which I guess is due to the low amount of body fat.
It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 worldwide have osteoporosis.
It is responsible for millions of fractures annually, mostly involving the lumbar vertebrae, hip, and wrist.
Fragility fractures of ribs are also common in men.
The incidence of hip fractures increases each decade from the sixth through the ninth for both women and men for all populations.
The highest incidence is found among those men and women ages 80 or older.
Hip fractures are responsible for the most serious consequences of osteoporosis.
In the United States, osteoporosis causes a predisposition to more than 250,000 hip fractures yearly.
Treatments.
There are several treatments that can be given so all is not lost.
Most of these treatments revolve around diet change, and several things like calcium and vitamin D.