Living With Osteoporosis
An Action Plan
Because it affects over 28 million Americans osteoporosis is a major public health threat that has a variety of preventative measures. According to 2004 research, 80% of those that run the highest risk are post-menopausal Caucasian women. Ten million people already suffer from it and 18 million more will eventually, due to low bone mass, genetic predisposition, diet, and other factors that accelerates the risk. Eight million American women and 2 million men currently suffer from osteoporosis. One out of every 2 women, to one out of every 8 men over the age of 50 will suffer from an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lifetimes, and is in the least a testament to the harsh reality that osteoporosis does not discriminate. While 10% of African American women over 50 have osteoporosis, add another 30% in to account for low or decreased bone density to accelerate the possibility of their suffering from the condition. Although it can affect men and women at any age, which is easily one of its sneakiest and brutal traits, it's responsible for over 1.5 million fractures annually, including — and especially — wrist, vertebral (spinal), and hip fractures. The latter of which is one of the most life-threatening for some individuals, since it takes the hips so long to heal.
A large part of post-menopausal women's susceptibility is that menopause decreases the amount of estrogen faster than the body can create and replenish it, thereby endowing bone loss with more power in the female frame than it takes in the male. Cleveland Clinic rheumatologist John J. Carey, M.D. bolsters the organization's position that Caucasian and African American women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than women of other races. Asian women are in a steady, close third place. Petite and thin people also have an increased risk of developing the condition because less bone actually exists to begin with, which narrows their surface area and ultimately the plain of possible healthy tissue. Family and genetic history are nearly sure-fire indicators of one's likelihood of experiencing the effects of osteoporosis, just as one's nutritional, exercise, and lifestyle choice (how many if at all you smoke or drink) decisions impact the body and its many processes. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, your doctor will probably recommend regular bone density tests.
For you gentlemen reading this, be aware that you are by no means exempt from the stress of possibly, at some point, being affected by this silent condition. Men are just as likely as women to slack off on exercise, nutrition, and monitor specific medical conditions, which could make your chances of having osteoporosis much greater. Remember osteoporatic indicators? Fractures of the hip are the worst, and nearly 25% of men die within the year following a hip fracture because of the difficulty for it to heal. Women? Fifteen to 20 percent.
The American College of Physicians issued a clinical practice guideline for screening of osteoporosis in men. They recommend periodic assessments for fracture risk starting before age 65, with x-ray absorptiometry for men at increased risk.
"Men are one of these under-recognized and under-treated groups," says Dr. Carey. It’s vital that men, along with women, explore and discuss their bone health with their physicians, largely because osteoporosis is preventable.
Vertigo and Osteoporosis
A recent study has shown the people with osteoporosis are more likely to have benign positional vertigo - the most common type of vertigo - than those with healthy bones. The exact connection is unknown. Research is needed to determine whether the treating osteoporosis and restoring normal calcium metabolism in such patients results in a reduction in vertigo symptoms.