by Cyril Thomas

Created on: February 19, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Introduction:
A 73-year-old woman is walking her dog on the streets of New York, when all of a sudden she begins to experience pain on her knee. As she is walking, she rubs her knee but the pain persists. She walks back home experiencing pain not only on her knee, but also now on her back. The next day she sees her clinical doctor and is scheduled for a DXA test. The results are then confirmed that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is defined as a skeletal disorder in which the absolute amount of bone is decreased in which the absolute amount of bone is decreased relative to that of younger, or menstruating, individuals although the remaining bone is of normal composition. This syndrome is considered to be the result from loss of bone mass over a massive period of time, which affects both male and female. Although decrements in the organs of the heart, lungs, muscle, and kidney also play a role in the aging process, the decrease in bone mass often affects in fractures and immobilization in the aged individual, which requires significant hospitalization time. There are two types of osteoporosis. Type 1 osteoporosis generally develops in women after menopause when the amount of estrogen in the body greatly decreases. However, it is far more common in women than in men and typically develops between the ages of 50 and 60. Type 2 osteoporosis typically happens after the age of 70 and affects twice as frequently as men affect. This involves a thinning of both the trabecular bone, which is the spongy bone inside the hard cortical bone.

The question mainly arises from the curious individual of, what are the risk factors and what can be done to prevent this syndrome? 75% of the chance, that genetics plays the role in an individuals bone mass. There are genes that code for Vitamin D and calcium receptors and for estrogen receptors that both significantly affect bone mass. With this high risk, one can cut down on cigarette smoking and maintain a healthy diet. Adequate calcium intake and calcium enriched products is critical in keeping bones strong. The main prevention is exercise and physical activity. Weight bearing exercise and muscle contraction have been shown to increase bone density. Osteoporosis is a serious syndrome once you obtain it. Therefore, in your younger days, maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in physical activity can greatly decrease the chances of an individual getting the syndrome.

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