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Although osteoporosis is widely regarded as a disease of women, more than two million cases on men afflicted with this condition have been reported in the United States alone. In the future, the numbers of people, both men and women, who suffer from this condition will increase in proportion to the increase in lifespan.
Osteoporosis is the loss of normal bone quantity, density and strength which can lead to weak porous bones prone to fractures and breaks. The most common types of fractures are in the spine, hip and wrist. In some cases, bone fractures occur without any injury due to being extremely brittle and porous. After the age of about 35, bone formation slows in both men and women and the amount of bone replaced in the skeleton is done at a much slower rate. Men suffer osteoporosis less often because men have a larger skeletonal structure and there is no hormonal activity that accompanies the bone loss, as with women and estrogen. By the age of 70, both sexes lose bone mass at about the same rate and calcium absorption slows down.
This can cause sudden fractures, loss of height and deformed bones in the spine.
Osteoporosis can also be caused by cancer radiation treatments, low testosterone levels, inadequate calcium and Vitamin C in the diet, heredity and use of drugs containing cortisone. If treated early, osteoporosis can be controlled with some success. When bone is lost, it cannot be replaced, although other options are available such as hip replacement or other bone replacement surgery. Diagnosis of this condition can include a physician taking x-rays and performing tests for bone mass measurement.
Frequently, in the early stages, the pain of osteoporosis is treated with non-prescription pain medications. In addition, doctors may prescribe various medications for pain along with calcium and vitamin supplements. In the case of low testosterone-induced osteoporosis, doctors will usually prescribe testosterone replacements. The drugs alendronate and risedronate are approved for use by both men and women for some types of osteoporosis.
Prevention of osteoporosis includes:
---adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D
---regular exercise, as recommended by a physician, which might include walking, jogging and light weight training to increase muscle mass
---reduced alcohol intake and abstain from smoking
---taking all safety measures to reduce chances of injury or falls
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