Osteoporosis Archives - Healthhype https://healthhype.com/tag/osteoporosis Current Health Articles on Symptoms, Diseases and Treatment Wed, 25 Apr 2018 23:13:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://healthhype.com/wp-content/uploads/logoicon.png Osteoporosis Archives - Healthhype https://healthhype.com/tag/osteoporosis 32 32 Brittle Bones Tests, Scans and Other Diagnostic Investigations https://healthhype.com/brittle-bones-tests-scans-and-other-diagnostic-investigations.html https://healthhype.com/brittle-bones-tests-scans-and-other-diagnostic-investigations.html#respond Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:42:13 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=18881 Screening for osteoporosis in high risk groups like postmenopausal women, elderly men, or patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy is always advisable for early detection. Management of osteoporosis also requires recording of the baseline values of parameters for monitoring the progress of osteoporosis therapy. The diagnostic procedure becomes more complex in younger patients without any known risk factors and therefore other uncommon causes of osteoporosis also have to be investigated these individuals. The most important investigations related to early detection and management of osteoporosis are radiological investigation, laboratory tests and biomarker studies. The traditional diagnostic tests for diagnosis of osteoporosis are radiological investigations. Radiological studies ranging from conventional radiography to complicated imaging studies may be used as an aid in diagnosis of osteoporosis. The gold standard osteoporosis diagnostic study is the bone mineral density (BMD) measurement. BMD measurement can be done with any of the imaging study options available. Common imaging study options available for BMD estimation include : single/double-photon absorptiometry (SPA/DPA) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) quantitative computed tomography (QCT) scanning magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) EXA is the most commonly used method among the options available for measuring BMD. Best results of fracture risk assessment related to osteoporosis are obtained with [...]

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]]> https://healthhype.com/brittle-bones-tests-scans-and-other-diagnostic-investigations.html/feed 0 Ways To Slow Down Bone Loss As You Get Older https://healthhype.com/ways-to-slow-down-bone-loss-as-you-get-older.html https://healthhype.com/ways-to-slow-down-bone-loss-as-you-get-older.html#respond Wed, 09 Oct 2013 22:00:36 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=25631 Osteoporosis is not an inevitability for every person as they get older. Age does lead to a loss in bone density that makes your bones less strong even though it is not as brittle as in osteoporosis. There are several reasons why bone loss occurs with age. A less active lifestyle, changes in diet and the effects of certain chronic diseases more commonly seen in the elderly are major contributing factors. However, age-related changes also play a significant role as well as genetic factors. Bone loss may not be entirely avoidable but it can be slowed down and minimized with the correct knowledge and appropriate changes in diet and lifestyle. Nutritional supplements are equally effective. The key is preventing significant bone loss rather than trying to reverse it once it has occurred. If there is a substantial decline in bone density then you may have osteoporosis which needs to be treated with specific medication like bisphosphonates. Start lifestyle changes by the 30s Contrary to popular belief, the loss of bone does not occur in the later years of life. It starts as early as the mid 30s. Age-related bone loss is not a disease and occurs very gradually over years [...]

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]]> https://healthhype.com/ways-to-slow-down-bone-loss-as-you-get-older.html/feed 0 Calcium and Vitamin D in Foods and Supplements for Bone Health https://healthhype.com/calcium-and-vitamin-d-in-foods-and-supplements-for-bone-health.html https://healthhype.com/calcium-and-vitamin-d-in-foods-and-supplements-for-bone-health.html#respond Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:16:02 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=18835 Calcium and vitamin D, specifically D3 or cholecalciferol, are essential for maintaining the strength and structural integrity of bones. While other nutrients also play an integral in bone development and strength, it is a deficiency of these two nutrients that have the most marked effect on integrity of the bone. Depending on the extent of the deficiency, it may lead to osteoporosis, osteomalacia (adults) or rickets (children). Both calcium and vitamin D are derived from the diet although the latter is also formed in the skin through sunlight exposure. The bones also serve as a reservoir for calcium. Deficiencies may be linked to dietary factors or underlying diseases that hamper the digestion, absorption or proper utilization of these calcium and vitamin D. Calcium Calcium is one of the main components for calcification of the bones. In conjunction with phosphorus it is deposited as hydroxyapatite crystals as bone mineral. Without it, bone will remain uncalcified as softer and more flexible bone tissue (osseus tissue). The levels of calcium in the blood are regulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH) secreted by the parathyroid glands and calcitonin secreted by the C-cells of the thyroid gland. Parathyroid hormone responds to low levels of calcium in [...]

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]]> https://healthhype.com/calcium-and-vitamin-d-in-foods-and-supplements-for-bone-health.html/feed 0 Bone Strengthening Drugs for Osteoporotic Disease https://healthhype.com/osteoporosis-drugs-types-action-dosage-and-side-effects.html https://healthhype.com/osteoporosis-drugs-types-action-dosage-and-side-effects.html#respond Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:27:00 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=18832 Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by reduced bone mass and disturbed bone architecture. It can result in spontaneous fractures or fractures from minimal trauma. Osteoporosis is a major reason for the increased the risk of fracture in majority of postmenopausal women and to a certain extent in men, particularly older men. More than 50% of women and about 25% of men suffer from osteoporosis related fractures with advancing age. The body of the vertebrae, radial bone near the wrist joint, and the femur near the hip joint are most commonly fractured bones in osteoporotic individuals. Other bones are also susceptible to fracture in osteoporotic individuals as the bones in general remain easily fragile. The severity of osteoporosis and risk for fractures increase considerably with advancing age. In osteoporosis there is an imbalance in the bone formation and the bone resorption (breakdown). This is directly related to the imbalance between deposition of calcium in the bones and its removal. The calcium balance is normally maintained by hormones like calcitonin, parathormone and the vitamin D. The treatment of osteoporosis aims at shifting balance in favor of bone formation. Irrespective of the type of osteoporosis, similar therapeutic approaches are useful in minimizing bone [...]

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]]> https://healthhype.com/osteoporosis-drugs-types-action-dosage-and-side-effects.html/feed 0 Bisphosphonates in Osteoporosis https://healthhype.com/bisphosphonates-in-osteoporosis.html https://healthhype.com/bisphosphonates-in-osteoporosis.html#respond Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:07:50 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=10868 Osteoporosis is a common health problem in elderly females. This is mostly because of the abrupt hormonal changes taking place after menopause, and so is called postmenopausal osteoporosis. The word “osteoporosis” perfectly describes the disease, which consists of cellular changes leading to thinning (increased porosity) of bones (Gk. osteon = pertaining to bones). This is followed by bone pains, fractures from trivial falls, and so on. The spectrum of symptoms in osteoporosis is endless, but the cause is frequently the same, a functional imbalance in bone tissue. Cellular changes in Osteoporosis Even after completion of growth, the bones of our body are continuously renewed by the cells present within the bones. There are two types of cells within the bones – osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Picture 1: Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Osteoblasts (Picture 1) are bone forming cells, which continuously keep adding layers of bone tissue over existing bones. Thus, they help in adding calcium from blood into the bones, making them stronger and thicker. However, with increasing age, menopause, or endocrine disorders (like hyperparathyroidism, thyroid disorders, Cushing’s syndrome, and so on), the number of osteoblasts starts decreasing, and so does their functional capacity to add layers of new [...]

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]]> https://healthhype.com/bisphosphonates-in-osteoporosis.html/feed 0 Osteoporosis Meaning, How It Happens, Causes and Symptoms https://healthhype.com/osteoporosis-pathophysiology-causes-signs-and-symptoms.html Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:34:58 +0000 http://www.healthhype.com/?p=18473 Bones are important structures of the body that plays a role in protecting the soft tissue and serves as a lever for muscles. The human skeletal system is made up of 206 bones in the adult. These bones can be categorized as part of the axial skeleton or appendicular skeleton. The bones of the axial skeleton include the skull, vertebral column and ribcage. The appendicular skeleton bones include those of the upper and lower limbs, as well as the bones that connect the axial and appendicular skeleton like the pelvic bone. There are number of diseases that may affect the bones and disrupt the normal bone structure. Human bone is made up of three parts – mineral, matrix and cells. The bone mineral is calcium phosphate crystals deposited as hydroxyapatite. The bone matrix is made up on an outer compact tissue which is hard and inner spongy cancellous tissue. There are three types of bone cells – osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts – are responsible for forming, shaping, maintaining and resorbing bone. The constant activity of these cells and the interplay of its different functions are responsible for maintaining the the structural integrity of bone. What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a [...]

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]]> 5 Signs of Osteoporosis (Brittle Bone Disease) https://healthhype.com/signs-of-osteoporosis-brittle-bones.html https://healthhype.com/signs-of-osteoporosis-brittle-bones.html#respond Wed, 25 Apr 2018 23:13:23 +0000 https://www.healthhype.com/?p=34566 Ostoporosis is the most common bone disease that is due to problems with the way bone is removed and replaced. These processes are ongoing throughout life. However, when the degree of bone removal is not matched by bone replenishment, then bones can become weak and brittle. Almost 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and approximately 2 million fractures in the United States are due to osteoporosis. What Happens In Osteoporosis? We often tend to think of bones as being massive calcium deposits that complete development by adulthood and remain the same thereafter. This is untrue. Human bone is constantly changing. There are two types of cells responsible for this remodeling activity – osteoblasts that lay down ‘new’ bone and osteoclasts that remove ‘old’ bone. However, only about 1% of the bone deposition and resorption is occurring at any one time. Nevertheless the other 99% of the bone is being maintained by cells known as osteocytes. In early life the osteoblastic activity (bone deposition) is greater than osteoclastic activity (bone removal). Gradually the osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity become somewhat equal in adulthood. However, this balance is disrupted with advancing age and other factors. Osteoclastic activity exceeds osteoblastic activity which means that more [...]

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