Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis (say: “ost-tee-oh-pore-oh-siss”) occurs when the inside of the bones become porous from a loss of calcium. This is called losing bone mass. Over time, this weakens the bones and makes them more likely to break.

Once total bone mass has peaked — around 35 years of age — all adults start to lose it. However, women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. This is due to several factors. Women have less bone mass than men, tend to live longer and take in less calcium. In women, the rate of bone loss speeds up after menopause, when estrogen levels fall. Since the ovaries make estrogen, faster bone loss may also occur if both ovaries are removed by surgery.

If men live long enough, they are also at risk of getting osteoporosis later in life.

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?

The following things put you at an increased risk for osteoporosis. The more of the following that apply to you, the higher your risk. Talk to your family doctor about your risk factors.

• Early menopause (before age 45)
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Surgery to remove ovaries before menopause
• Fair skin (caucasian or Asian race)
• Not getting enough calcium
• Sedentary lifestyle (not getting enough exercise)
• Smoking or tobacco use
• Alcohol abuse
• Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa
• Thin body and small bone frame
• Hyperthyroidism, either from an overactive thyroid or from taking too much medicine to treat hypothyroidism.
• Long-term use of corticosteroids, which are medicines prescribed to treat inflammation, pain and chronic conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Source: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/bone/136.html