18
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May 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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Osteoporosis on
the Rise
By Sarah Wilder, Lexington Clinic
According to the International
Osteoporosis Foundation, in the
United States alone, osteoporosis is a
major public health threat for almost
44 million citizens aged 50 and older.
This figure is expected to climb even
higher, to more than 60 million by
the year 2020. With this increase, an
expected rise in osteoporosis fractures is expected to occur as well.
“Osteoporosis is a disease that,
over time, weakens the bones and
makes them brittle. As the disease
progresses, even the smallest actions,
such as coughing or bending over, can
cause a fracture, most commonly in
the spine, hip or wrist. About one in
every in two Caucasian women will
have an osteoporosis-related fracture
at some point during her lifetime,”
said Walaa Ayoub, M.D., Ph.D.,
Lexington Clinic endocrinologist
whose interests include osteoporosis
and other bone mineral disorders.
“This condition develops when the
formation of new bone in a patient’s
body falls behind compared to the
removal of old bone.”
Osteoporosis can affect all patients
age 50 and older, however older
women after menopause are at the
highest risk of developing this condition. To lower their risk, it is recommended they consume adequate
amounts of calcium and vitamin D
and exercise regularly. Since there
are typically no early symptoms of
osteoporosis, it is often not until
a bone is fractured that the condition is diagnosed. That is why many
physicians recommend a dual-energy
X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan for
at-risk patients to measure the bone
mineral density and to detect the
onset of osteoporosis before fractures
occur.
“With DXA units, like the one
we recently installed at Lexington
Clinic, physicians are able to do a
quick, painless and noninvasive scan
of the patient’s bone density,” said Dr.
Ayoub. “During this scan, we focus
on the hip and spine, and although
osteoporosis involves the patient’s
entire body, scanning at these two
sites can help us not only diagnose
a patient with osteoporosis but
also predict fractures at other sites
throughout the rest of the body.”
Although a DXA scan is the quickest and surest way to determine if a
patient has osteoporosis, there are
other symptoms observed as the
disease worsens. Those include back
pain, which is caused by a fractured
or collapsed vertebrae, a gradual
decrease in height, stooped posture
and a fracture that occurs easily.
Once a patient is diagnosed with
osteoporosis, treatment options are
available, depending on the patient’s
risk of breaking a bone due to the
condition within the next 10 years.
There are also lifestyle changes that
can lower a patient’s risk of developing osteoporosis and also preventing
fractures if osteoporosis has been
diagnosed.
“Patients who have already developed osteoporosis should adopt lifestyle habits to preserve bone strength
and to help avoid the possible frac-
Walaa Ayoub, M.D., Ph.D., Lexington Clinic endocrinologist
tures associated with this condition,”
said Dr. Ayoub. “These habits include
cessation of tobacco smoking, as
smoking can increase rates of bone
loss and reducing alcohol consumption to less than two drinks per day
to avoid a decrease in bone formation
and also an increased risk of falling.”
Additionally, if a patient does have
osteoporosis, they should do all they
can to limit falls, such as wearing lowheeled shoes, checking the home for
misplaced electrical cords, area rugs
and slippery surfaces and installing
grab bars inside and outside of the
shower door. For younger women,
it is recommended to build strong
bones early in life to help prevent
the development of osteoporosis
later. Ways to do this include weightbearing exercises, such as yoga, brisk
walking, golf, dancing and strength
training, and consuming a diet rich in
calcium and vitamin D.
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