Osteoporosis Can Strike at Thirty
Although osteoporosis is known to appear especially on older people, the truth is that the disease can strike at any age.
Therefore, millions and millions of people are at risk. And not only women even though osteoporosis is associated in most of the cases with them, but also men can suffer from this debilitating condition.
Women are four times more likely to develop the disease than men
Osteoporosis is a disease that makes the bones so fragile and they are more likely to break.
There are no kinds of symptoms, no pain, no warning signs that could alert people about the onset of the disease.
The first indication can be something minor like a fall, a bump or a strain causing easily a break or fracture.
Any bone can be affected, but in many cases fractures occur in the hip, spine or wrist.
Spinal fractures are serious, severe back pain, permanent loss of height and deformity are often the outcome.
Hip fractures are very dangerous. In the most of the cases, they require major surgery.
Both are likely to impair the ability to walk without assistance.
Test have proven that one in every two Caucasian women and one in eight men over the age of 50 are probable to suffer an osteoporosis related fracture at some time in their remaining lifetime.
Some women can lose almost 20% of bone mass only in the first 5-7 years after the menopause, increasing their susceptibility to the disease.
Important factors that can determine the disease are: a thin/small frame, anorexia nervosa, advanced age, post menopause including early or induced menopause, the existence of the disease in the family history, low testosterone in men, sedentary lifestyle, low calcium diet, smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol.
Prevention
Osteoporosis is a disease that needs to be prevented. No one is too young to prepare herself or himself to fight against it.
This can begin in early childhood and even teen years by building strong bones, the best foundation for prevention in later years.
The average woman will have acquired 98% of her skeletal mass by the age of twenty.
Good to start at any age, there are three fundamental steps you can take to reduce the chances of suffering from osteoporosis.
•÷ A healthy diet rich especially in calcium and vitamin D.
•÷ A good lifestyle with without alcohol and smoking.
•÷ A regular routine of weight bearing exercises.
Older people or any other ones who feel they might be at risk, are advised to seek medical advice on the size of weights and intensity of the routines, because there is the danger of overdoing it which may result in fracture if the disease already exists inside their body.
The critical years for building bone mass in women are from childhood to age thirty.
According to some medical experts, a balanced diet and regular exercise can determine the increase of the bone mass by as much as 20% in women by age thirty.
Bone density measurements can be taken in various parts of the body without any pain, discomfort or invasive procedure.
The tests that help people to prevent and treat osteoporosis
•÷ can show your rate of bone density loss and monitor the effects on a regular basis.
•÷ are able to detect the disease before suffering a related fracture so precautionary steps can be taken.
•÷ can predict your future chances of suffering a fracture due to the disease.
It is a wise precaution to consult your medical advisor and request bone density tests if you think there is a chance that you are at risk.
Regular exercise, a healthy diet and lifestyle will help prevent and fight virtually every disease.
All these are necessary because what you must know is that with osteoporosis there are NO warning signs, no symptoms meant to put you on your guard. This is the reason for which osteoporosis is often referred to as "the silent disease".
