Are you a person who’s always suffering from a backache? Have you recently undergone a spine or hip fracture? Are your friends and family constantly pointing out that you are developing a stooped posture? Well, these are some of the most prominent symptoms of a certain medical condition of the bones known as osteoporosis. In simpler terms, this is a condition wherein your bones become weak and brittle, thus elevating the risk of broken bones and fractures. This condition of thinning of the bones usually results in painful fractures, and it isn’t until such unfortunate incidents happen, that people understand the gravity of the situation.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a medical condition of the bone, which develops when the bone density is diminishing substantially. The body starts to absorb more bone tissue and in turn produces a lesser amount to replace it. In simpler terms, it occurs when the creation of a new bone can’t keep up with the loss of an old one. Due to this reason, the bones of the body start to become weaker and porous; thus elevating the risk of fractures. These fractures are most probable to occur in the hips, wrists, spinal vertebrae etc. and could take place over mild stresses such as bending over or even a strong bout of coughing.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis:

Generally, there are no such symptoms in the early stages of osteoporosis as it develops slowly and steadily in the body. The person may show signs of:

• a stoop,
• decrease in height
• Backache
• Clothes not fitting the same way

But the person may not actually get to know his/her exact condition until after they experience a fracture/break post a minor incident. And then all hell breaks loose (pun intended) as the patient is in pain and emotional distress as to what to do. If you want to avoid such situations, do give this article a read and learn all that you need to know about osteoporosis.

Causes of Osteoporosis:

Quite a few factors contribute to osteoporosis. Bone is a living tissue and it’s in a repetitive state of renewal, i.e. constantly a new bone is made and an old one is broken down in your body. When you are young, this process is fast, but it slows down with age. Most humans reach their maximum bone mass by the age of thirty. And as one ages, the loss of bone mass is quite speedier than its creation. That’s where the problem arises. It also depends on how much bone mass was created in the early years. The peak bone mass acts as a form of bone ‘bank’ and the higher it is, the lesser the chance of developing osteoporosis.

Risk Factors of Osteoporosis:

The rate of bone mass loss differs from person to person and generally around midlife, your bones start to become thinner. However, how fast or slow you lose out on bone mass depends on a number of factors. Some of these risk factors are modifiable while some are unavoidable. So, let’s take a closer look at them:

Non-modifiable Risks:

These risk factors are out of one’s control and these include:

• Gender: Well, you can’t really do anything about it, but women are more susceptible to developing osteoporosis compared to men.
• Race: Men and women who are of a white or an Asian descent are more likely to develop this disease.
• Body structure: Your height and weight statistics also affect your chances against this disease. If you have a height over 5 feet 7 inches or a weight under 125 pounds, you are definitely under the radar. Also, people with smaller body frames tend to be at a greater risk.
• Age: The older you get, the chances are higher. More precisely, the risk elevates after mid-30s and also post-menopause.
• Reduced sex hormones: Low amount of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone are more likely to accelerate bone loss. These take place in women at menopause and in men as they age.
• Excessive Thyroxin: Too much secretion of thyroid hormones could cause bone loss. It generally happens when you have an overactive thyroid.
• Medical conditions: The risk of osteoporosis is greater in people who have medical conditions like kidney or liver diseases, cancer, arthritis, celiac disease or lupus.
• Genetic factors: Having a parent or even a sibling diagnosed with osteoporosis, more so, if they have a fractured hip, puts you at a much more vulnerable position.
• Fracture history: A person over the age of fifty, who had undergone fractures in the past, is more likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Modifiable Risk Factors:

These risk factors are basically avoidable and under greater control of an individual. These include:

• Dietary Factors: Osteoporosis is more commonly detected in people who have a low calcium intake in their lifestyle, are subject to eating disorders, as well as have undergone surgeries like gastrointestinal surgeries to reduce the stomach size.
• Steroids: Long term intake of oral or injected medications like prednisone and cortisone interferes negatively with the bone-renewal process. Also, if you are a person who takes medications to deal with cancer, seizures, transplant rejection etc., you are at a greater risk of osteoporosis.
• Choice of Lifestyle: Certain bad habits like having a sedentary lifestyle, excessive intake of alcohol as well as excessive tobacco use could adversely impact your risk to osteoporosis.