Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis information and treatment

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes a loss in bone density and frequent bone cracks or breaks. It's a disease that's most prevalent in older adults, particularly women.

The Osteoporosis Calcium Connection

Osteoporosis is present when the density of the bones is 2.5 points below the standard amount. It usually strikes women after they go through menopause, but men may also develop the condition. Younger women and men who have certain hormone disorders or chronic illnesses may also develop osteoporosis. People who take hormone-altering drugs like steroids are also at higher risk. While osteoporosis itself isn't a fatal disease, the fragility of the bones and the frequent fractures can affect the quality and length of life.

While there is osteoporosis treatment available, preventing it from developing in the first place is the best thing you can do. Getting plenty of exercise and calcium, including vitamin D which helps the body absorb calcium, can be a key in preventing the disease. Not only can exercise prevent osteoporosis in the first place, it can also halt osteoporosis that's already begun.

Studies suggest that children and teenagers who don't get enough calcium during their formative years are at higher risk of osteoporosis in their later years. Young adults in their late teens and twenties who don't get enough calcium will be at higher risk as well, but the studies seem to indicate that the younger years are even more important because that's when the bones are growing the most. The more bone mass women have when they're young, the less likely they are to develop osteoporosis.

The diagnosis of osteoporosis is usually accomplished with X-rays and other bone density tests, which are noninvasive and painless.

Osteoporosis Treatments

There is a wide variety of treatments designed to halt bone loss available to people with osteoporosis. There are also treatments that claim to increase bone density and strength. Evista osteoporosis medication is designed to do both, and help women with this disease have fewer fractures as well as lower their risk for breast cancer. It's also important for women with decreased bone density to lower their risk of falling.