Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," is a preventable and treatable disease that thins and weakens your bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It is sometimes called a "silent disease" because it can develop gradually over many years without causing any symptoms. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) estimates as many as eight million women in the U.S. have osteoporosis, and that by 2020, 14 million people over age 50 will have osteoporosis.

Although men can also suffer from osteoporosis, the vast majority of individuals affected by osteoporosis are women. In fact, the annual number of osteoporotic fractures in women is greater than the number of heart attacks, strokes, and cases of breast cancer combined. Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis of the spine than men.

Although the disease can strike at any age, women are at greatest risk for osteoporosis after menopause. As many as 40 percent of women age 50 years and older have low bone mass, a condition called osteopenia, increasing their risk for osteoporosis. A major reason for this is that women's bodies produce less estrogen after menopause, and estrogen plays an important role in helping to prevent bone loss.

Although the average age for menopause in the United States is 51, some women experience menopause earlier due to natural causes or following surgery, illness or treatments that destroy the ovaries. For example, a total hysterectomy in which the ovaries and uterus are removed will immediately trigger menopause. When you have not had a menstrual period for more than 12 consecutive months, without another medical reason for the absence of your periods, you are postmenopausal.

The good news is that osteoporosis can be prevented and treated and bone health can be maintained. It is never too late to learn how to maintain and keep your bones healthy.

Bone Basics

Your bones are complex living tissue. They provide structure and support for your muscles, protect your organs and store 99 percent of the calcium used by the soft tissues of your body for their various functions.

Healthy bone is strong and dense with many interconnecting pieces. Bone affected by osteoporosis is porous, fragile and weak. Low bone mass, a condition called osteopenia, affects as many as 34 million Americans, increasing their risk for osteoporosis as they age.

Bone is made mostly of collagen, a protein that provides a soft framework, and hydroxyapatite, a complex of calcium and phosphate, minerals that add strength and harden the framework. This combination of collagen and calcium makes bone strong yet flexible to withstand stress.

Bone changes regularly through a process called remodeling, in which the body breaks down old bone and replaces it with new, strong bone. This process continues throughout life, but varies significantly as you age.

From birth to age 25 or 30, the body builds more new bone than it breaks down. By age 30, your bones become the strongest they will ever be. This phase of bone development is called peak bone mass. The level of bone mass achieved at the peak is determined largely by genetics, but also by nutrition, exercise and menstrual function. Having healthy, strong bones at younger ages can be a critical factor in protecting against osteoporosis in the future.

After about age 30, your body breaks down old bone faster than it builds new bone. This process speeds up dramatically as menopause approaches and for several years after. In the first five to seven years following menopause, you can lose up to 20 percent of bone mass.

Bone loss continues at a slower pace throughout the remainder of your life, and may accelerate again in your older years, usually after age 70. Rates of bone loss vary among individuals, but even slow rates of loss may be dangerous, especially in women who start with low bone mass prior to menopause. Often, the first symptom of osteoporosis is a broken bone, which is called a fracture. The common sites for these fractures are the hip, spine or wrist.