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Osteoporosis: An Old Age Disease That Weakens The Bone

Dr. Abhishtita Mudunuri

3 Min Read

Bone disorders are a category of conditions that affect the bones, joints, surrounding ligaments, etc. A normal bone, when looked into microscopically, has a honeycomb-like appearance. There are active processes occurring in the bone such as deposition and removal. When the removal exceeds new bone formation, it is called osteopenia. When this further deteriorates, the spaces in the honeycomb structure expand, even more, leading to fragility. This is called Osteoporosis. It is a serious public health concern that famously causes age-related fragility fractures.

osteoporosis faqs mfine

Risk factors

The normal peak of bone development occurs between 20 to 40 years of age. While increasing age and being a woman significantly increases the risk for osteoporosis, here are a few noteworthy risk factors:

osteoporosis risk factors mfine

It is a known fact that smoking leads to early menopause in women, thereby precipitating the risk further for osteoporosis.

Investigations and diagnosis

While it is true that osteoporosis is often diagnosed only after the occurrence of either low-trauma hip/forearm fractures or compression spine fractures, especially in older women, some symptoms can be valuable when the doctor is taking your clinical history.

If you have weak and brittle nails, receding gums, poor grip strength, and a family history of osteoporosis, it would be important to mention to an orthopaedic surgeon about them. The following tests are usually recommended in order to arrive at a diagnosis of osteoporosis:

Clinical History: The doctor will collect details about your gender, age, family history, history of smoking or alcohol intake, presence of any chronic conditions, history of using steroid medication, etc.
Blood tests: You may be asked to get a few blood tests done, such as Renal function test, Liver function test, Thyroid function test, complete blood count, Vitamin D levels, Parathyroid hormone levels, sex hormone levels. calcium levels, etc.
Other tests: Other than X-rays, CT/MRI scans, the most important test would be the bone densitometry (also called DEXA) in order to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in your wrist, hips, forearms.

Management and prevention

Managing osteoporosis once it has been diagnosed involves regular intake of oral medication provided by the doctor, as well as making a few lifestyle changes like consuming calcium-rich foods, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol as well as engaging in physical activity as prescribed.

Prevention and management bone disease mfine

When it comes to health, surprises are never fun. So, if you experience any symptoms related to your joints or bones, you can consult India’s top orthopedicians online on MFine. Ab #HarGharMeinDoctor

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Written by

Dr. Abhishtita Mudunuri

Dr. Abhishtita Mudunuri is an Internal Medicine Physician Diabetologist with over 10 years of experience in treating lifestyle disorders like Diabetes, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, etc. She has worked previously at Columbia Asia, Sunshine Hospitals, and Apollo Group of Hospitals. Currently, she is working as a Senior Manager and Diabetologist at MFine.

Osteoporosis: An Old Age Disease That Weakens The Bone

Risk factors

Investigations and diagnosis

Management and prevention

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