Osteoporosis

By: Paige Colpo, Shannon Cunningham, Madhu Vadlamani

Definition

• Osteoporosis- a condition where there is continual loss of bone. The bones become weaker over time.

 

History

• Osteoporosis can be traced back about 4000 years ago to ancient Egypt.

• The word Osteoporosis comes from the Greek words οστούν/ostoun meaning “bone” and πόρος/poros meaning “pore,” coming to mean “porous bone.”

 

Signs and Symptoms

• Bone pain or tenderness• Fractures with little or no trauma• Loss of height (as much as 6 inches) over time• Low back pain due to fractures of the spinal

bones• Neck pain due to fractures of the spinal bones• Stooped posture or kyphosis, also called a

"dowager's hump"

Signs and Symptoms (Cont.)

• As soon as you start to experience symptoms, you need to get checked by a doctor.

• Osteoporosis can be genetic, run in the family, but can be less severe if you exercise regularly and get the recommended daily amount of calcium to keep your bones strong.

Treatment

• Osteoporosis can be treated with:– Vitamin D– Calcium– Weight bearing exercises– Prevention of falls– Bone friendly machines– Surgery– Medication

Role of Diet

• Salt– Webmd.com says that, for every 2,300 milligrams of sodium you

take in, about 40 milligrams of calcium is lost, and this loss of calcium contributes to Osteoporosis.

• Sodas/Soft Drinks– They cause you to get rid of calcium.

• Caffeine– It takes the calcium from bones and drains their strength.

Webmd.com says that you lose about 6 milligrams of calcium for every 100 milligrams of caffeine ingested.

• Soy– They bind up calcium and make it unavailable to the body.

Role of Exercise

• Osteoporosis can help be maintained, treated, and prevented by specific exercises:– Weight Bearing

• Walking, hiking, dancing– Resistance

• Free weights, weight machines, water exercise– Flexibility

• Regular stretches, tai chi, yoga• Osteoporosis can be prevented by exercising regularly

as well. These exercises maintain and increase bone mass and density.

Role of Medicine

• Medicines used to treat Osteoporosis include:– Bisphosphonates

• Slows the rate of bone thinning and can lead to increased bone density – can be used in men and women.

– Raloxifene• Slows bone thinning – can only be used in women.

– Calcitonin• Slows the rate of bone thinning and relieves spinal pain –

can be used in men and women.

– Denosumab• Slows bone thinning, makes bones stronger, and treats

people who are at a high rate for bone fracture – for women only

Role of Family Support Given

• Families can help support Osteoporosis patients by:– Taking them to the doctor– Taking care of them after surgery– Giving them their medications– Providing moral support

• If the patient has no family, friends can provide support, or medical social websites such as www.healthtalkonline.org can provide an online community of Osteoporosis patients that can receive support from one another.

Management of Problem:Short Term

• Osteoporosis medications can help to manage the problem for a short term time.

• These medications will only work for a short amount of time because Bisphosphonates can cause negative side effects if taken for a short amount of time.

Management of Problem:Long Term

• Surgery can be used to correct Osteoporosis for a long period of time.

• Exercises and diet changes (once you get in a habit) can be used to strengthen bones naturally for a long period of time.

Impact on Individual and Family

• Impact on the Patient: – Osteoporosis is painful – Surgery requires constant care and is expensive– Appearance is chronically hunched

• Impact on the Family:– Osteoporosis patients (especially after surgery) require constant

care– Personal interests are set aside so that the patient can receive

adequate care

Statistics• According to http://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-and-statistics.html :

– Worldwide, an osteoporotic fracture is estimated to occur every 3 seconds, a vertebral fracture every 22 seconds.

– Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide - approximately one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90.

– Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan.– Osteoporosis is greater than that caused by cancers (with the exception of lung

cancer) and is comparable or greater than that lost to a variety of chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and high blood pressure related heart disease.

 

Fun Facts• Researchers say that about 1 out of every 5 American women

over the age of 50 have Osteoporosis.• About half of all women over 50 have had a fracture of the hip,

wrist, or vertebrae.• The word osteoporosis comes from the Greek words “osteon”

meaning bone, and “poros,” meaning a pore or a passage.

 

Fun Facts (Cont.)• Caucasians and Asians have a higher risk of developing

osteoporosis than other people do.• In western populations, the statistics are that one in two

women and one in four men could suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

 

Bibliography• "Osteoporosis." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. http://www.webmd.com• "Osteoporosis - PubMed Health." National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth• Erasmus, Susan . "Interesting facts about osteoporosis: Health24: Osteoporosis." Health24 - South Africa's premier health and wellness

site, provides world-class information and interactive tools for a healthy lifestyle. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-2207-2320,31105.asp>.

• Eckman, Ari S. "Osteoporosis - PubMed Health." PubMed Health.

A.D.A.M. Inc, 08 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001400/>.• "History of Osteoporosis." Fountia. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. http://www.fountia.com/history-osteoporosis.• Bronson, Mary H. "Online Student Edition." Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.

http://www.glencoe.com/ose/showbook.php.