20 October is World Osteoporosis Day, marked each year at the initiative of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). In this disease bone density falls and bones become weak and brittle, usually without early symptoms; many people find out only after breaking a bone in a minor fall. For the day, Amar Desh set out prevention advice based on IOF information.
An estimated 200 million people worldwide have osteoporosis. According to the IOF, one in three women and one in five men over 50 may suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Bone density usually peaks in the mid-twenties and can decline with age.
Risk factors include shortfalls of calcium, protein and vitamin D; the fall in oestrogen during and after menopause; age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), which raises the risk of falls; physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol; and long-term use of corticosteroid medicines.
What to do: eat calcium- and protein-rich foods such as milk and dairy, lentils, soybeans and nuts; get vitamin D safely from sunlight and food, and have it tested on a doctor's advice if a shortfall is suspected; walk, climb stairs and do weight-bearing exercise along with balance training; and stop smoking. Women near menopause and people with a family history of fractures can have bone density measured by a DEXA scan on a doctor's advice. For older people, grab bars in the bathroom, non-slip floors and good lighting are recommended.
What not to do: do not stay inactive for long; do not take extra calcium or vitamin D supplements without medical advice; do not stop corticosteroids or any other medicine on your own; and do not ignore warning signs such as persistent bone pain, difficulty getting up from a chair or slower walking.
The IOF says a major gap is that after a minor-trauma fracture patients often get emergency care but no bone density test or osteoporosis treatment. It urges hospital-based Fracture Liaison Services so that every fracture patient's risk is assessed and follow-up treatment assured.
Photo: James Heilman, MD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Amar Desh
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