Research Paper On Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis
Many people have known at least one person in their life who has suffered from the term “osteoporosis”. Osteoporosis is a commonly heard of bone disease that effects many. The word osteoporosis literally means “porous bone”. When looked at microscopically, bones will appear to have a honeycomb appearance under normal, healthy circumstances. When he or she has osteoporosis, the microscopic honeycomb shape will have larger spaces between and within its appearance. The bigger spaces within the honeycomb shape are abnormal and show that the bones have a lower bone density and mass. When bones lose their density and mass they become weak and bone breaks can happen easily. Studies have found that osteoporosis has effected about 54 million
Americans and that one in every two women and one in every four men, 50 and older will break bones due to having osteoporosis (What Is Osteoporosis?). Having this bone disease can make everyday activities more dangerous due to increasingly weaker bones.
Bones in the body are a constant recycling system. Old bone is broken down and new bone is being made continuously to take its place. In young people, bone growth happens at a quicker rate than bone break down. As a result, the new bone made gets backed up causing the bones to become thicker creating increased bone mass. Developing a higher bone mass as a child can actually help the body during the aging process since the bones would have a larger amount of mass that would have to be lost before the bones would start to become thin and brittle. The crippling disease, osteoporosis, is caused when too little bone is made to keep up with the removal and replacement of the older bone breaking down, or when too much bone mass has been lost or when both of these occurrences happen (Mayo Clinic). Due to the small amount of bone growth happening and too much of the bone mass being loss, the bones in the body become weak and therefore are vulnerable to breaks (What Is Osteoporosis?). While there are some things that can be done to help prevent osteoporosis, there are risk factors that cannot be helped. Those risk factors include gender, age, body size, ethnicity, and family history. Studies have found that women who are older in age with a small, slim body build that are from white or Asian backgrounds and do have a family history of osteoporosis are at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis (What Is Osteoporosis? -Fast Facts). Another high risk factor includes those with a physical disability, which can also lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis (Yuen-Chi Lau & Guo). Everyone will have their own individual odds against them for developing osteoporosis, based on their overall medical condition and genetics.
As osteoporosis progresses, the bones gradually start to become more and more brittle.
The bone breaks that happen from osteoporosis can occur from just minor falls, and in severe cases of osteoporosis, can occur from things as simple as sneezing, coughing and bumping into items such as furniture in the home (What Is Osteoporosis?). It is often hard to tell when osteoporosis first begins. Osteoporosis is often considered a “silent disease” because one cannot feel their bones getting weaker. Studies indicate common signs that are first noticed are decreasing height and the upper part of their backs beginning to curve. The decrease in their height and the curving of their backs occur when vertebrae in the back break or collapse (What Is Osteoporosis?). The longer the person lives with osteoporosis the more likely bone breaks will occur. The most common sites for fractures are in the hip, back, and wrist (Christodoulou & Cooper). Because the age range of of those with the greatest risk of developing osteoporosis are the elders, complications often arise when preforming the surgeries needed to fix the fractures. In some cases, these complications can lead to death (What Is Osteoporosis?). Progression is slow and can often go unnoticed until things go from bad to worse with one incident. Life-style changes can help diminish the frequency of fractures. Prevention, such as proper diet and regular exercise are the best options to prevent development of this crippling disease (Christodoulou & Cooper). The number one way to slow the progression of osteoporosis is to see a doctor and become familiar with the care needed to prevent
it.
Treating osteoporosis can be done several different ways. In a lot of cases, osteoporosis treatment is determined by how likely the person is to break a bone within the next ten years. This can be evaluated by using a bone density test (Mayo Clinic). In most treatment plans it is advised and instructed to increase calcium and vitamin D intake (Christodoulou & Cooper).
Calcium and vitamin D are both considered essentials for good bone health. Calcium supplements have a positive effect on bone mass density and vitamin D supplements correct vitamin D deficiency, as well as, increase bone mass density (Christodoulou & Cooper). There are other kinds of medications that can be taken for osteoporosis as well. The most common type of prescription drug for the osteoporosis patient, is bisphosphonates, such as alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, and zoledronic acid (Mayo Clinic). Most of the pharmacological treatments include some type of calcium intake. Aside from taking medications and prescriptions, different types of therapy are available to treat those with osteoporosis as well (Christodoulou & Cooper). Speaking with your doctor or physical therapist will help one find which type of therapy is right for them. There is no “cure” for osteoporosis. Once osteoporosis is diagnosed, one can only attempt to prevent further bone loss, learn to control pain, and increase safety awareness to prevent falls or injuries resulting in fractures.