Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist. Men as well as women are affected by osteoporosis, a disease that can be prevented and treated.

Facts and Figures

• Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans, 68 percent of whom are women.

To understand the complexity of osteoporosis, one needs to understand the fundamentals of bone biology.

#1: The bony skeleton is a remarkable organ that serves both a structural function, providing mobility, support, and protection for the body, and a reservoir function, as the store house for essential minerals.

Osteoporosis can be defined as low bone mass leading to structural fragility or fragile bones. If one could see the bone of a person with severe osteoporosis it would look like a honeycomb.

Osteoporosis is a major disease of older Americans. 10,000,000 Americans are affected by this disease, and approximately 1.5 million fractures occur annually due to osteoporosis. These figures will rise significantly in the decades ahead unless action is taken now.

Men over 45 years of age who have osteoporosis should probably have their testosterone level checked. Hypogonadism (low testosterone level)
has been linked to both osteoporosis and depression.

Men with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and diabetes are more likely to have low testosterone.

This article, compiled by Donald J. Frisco, MD from information provided by the National Osteoporosis Foundation (www.nof.org) and The National Institutes of Health has complete information about osteoporosis: who, why, when, prevention, risk factors, diagnosis, understanding test results, and specific medications for treatment.

Although people assume that "...both soy and soy isoflavones deliver many health benefits, including prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis, as well as treatment of menopausal symptoms", the science is less absolute and still evolving.

Even sneezing can cause a fracture if you have osteoporosis. How can you tell if it's just another pain or if it's a fracture?

See Radiographic Views of :

A Pfizer graph shows the phases in the skeletal life cycle of males and females that will help you understand why it is so important for children to build strong bones. "