Osteoporosis
Quiet and dangerous disease
Although this is primarily a disease of older people, it is good that young people are aware of the importance of information on this disease and that at a young age, you do something for yourself that you are preventing it or at least, alleviate it. At the same time, you can use the following information to raise awareness among your parents, grandparents, friends and acquaintances about the risk factors, early detection and treatment.
Osteoporosis is by far the most common chronic disease of the bones, which is characterized by low bone mineral density and destruction of bone microarchitecture, resulting in poor quality of bones and increased bone fragility. Patients with osteoporosis, therefore, break their bones already at small falls, in which healthy bone would not break. Osteoporosis is a very common disease and with increasing age of the population, it is becoming an increasing public health problem. Among patients with osteoporosis, 80% are women, because they have lower bone mass, in addition, due to the rapid decline of female sex hormones after menopause bone degradation accelerates. Osteoporosis may also be a result of some other diseases, such as thyroid disease, parathyroid glands, kidney, colon, rheumatic diseases, but is also a consequence of the consumption of certain drugs, in particular, corticosteroids and drugs for the treatment of breast cancer and prostate cancer. Risk factors include also smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, a diet with too little calcium and vitamin D, and low body weight.
It is estimated that every second woman and every fifth man after the age of 50 will suffer osteoporotic fracture until the end of life. The most typical osteoporotic fractures are fractures of the wrist, vertebral and hip fractures. These fractures can lead to temporary or permanent loss of ability to carry out daily activities, cause the loss of independence, severe pain and significantly impair quality of life, and could even cause a death of the patient.
It is very important to be aware of the risk of osteoporosis and to warn about the risk your family, friends, co-workers, as with this we can spare someone many unnecessary complications.
DETECTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis is a silent disease, as long as this does not lead to the collapse it practically does not cause problems. You can only discover it by timely measurement of bone mineral density. The method is harmless and painless. Measurement is recommended to all who belong to the group with a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. These are people whose parents have broken their hip in the minor fall, the persons who have themselves suffered a fracture during the minor fall, the person whose height was reduced by more than three centimeters, persons who are or have been treated with corticosteroids, some medicines to treat breast cancer and prostate cancer, people who smoke or consume alcohol daily, patients with hyperthyroidism, rheumatic diseases, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, women who have lost their menstrual period before the age of 45, and men who have problems due to the lack of male sex hormones.
PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS
With young people prevention is particularly important, although the period when problems occur due to osteoporosis, is still very far away. It is very important to take care of healthy and strong bones by ourselves. Already in childhood and adolescence period, the consumption of food that contains enough calcium and regular exercise we ensure that our bones will be stronger and firmer. Thus, a decline in bone mass with age will be less pronounced. Even later, we recommend that our daily diet contains 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium - most of the calcium in our diet provides milk and milk products, to compare a pint of milk contains about 250 mg of calcium. In addition to calcium, Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones, which in small quantities is taken with food (especially in the more oily sea fish), while the majority is formed under the influence of UV rays on our skin. In our latitudes is produced in our body only from April to September, sufficient is already 15 minutes of sun face and hands up to the elbows between 10:00 and 16:00 without the use of protective factors, several times a week. Due to the risk that under the influence of UV rays skin cancer can develop we recommend to the more vulnerable the consumption of supplements of vitamin D. We take care of regular physical activity, stop all smoking and alcohol consume in large quantities.