Osteoporosis is a condition that affects the bones. Its name comes from Latin for “porous bones.” The inside of a healthy bone has small spaces, like a honeycomb. Osteoporosis increases the size of these spaces, causing the bone to lose strength and density. In addition, the outside of the bone grows weaker and thinner. Osteoporosis can occur in people of any age, but it’s more common in older adults, especially women. More than 53 million people in the United States either have osteoporosis or are at high risk of developing it. People with osteoporosis are at a high risk of fractures, or bone breaks, while doing routine activities such as standing or walking. The most commonly affected bones are the ribs, hips, and the bones in the wrists and spine. The early stages of osteoporosis don’t cause any symptoms or warning signs. In most cases, people with osteoporosis don’t know they have the condition until they have a fracture. If symptoms do appear, some of the earlier ones may include: receding gums, weakened grip strength, weak and brittle nails. Without appropriate treatment, osteoporosis can worsen. As bones get thinner and weaker, the risk of fracture increases. Symptoms of severe osteoporosis can include a fracture from a fall or even from a strong sneeze or cough. They can also include back or neck pain, or loss of height. Back or neck pain or loss of height can be caused by a compression fracture. This is a break in one of the vertebrae in your neck or back, which is so weak that it breaks under the normal pressure in your spine. If you do have a fracture from osteoporosis, how long it takes to heal will depend on many factors. These include where the fracture is, how severe it is, as well as your age and health history. To understand osteoporosis, it can help to see what normal bone looks like versus bone affected by osteoporosis. Possible causes of osteoporosis include certain medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism. They also include the use of certain medications. Examples of these medications include long-term oral or injected corticosteroids such as prednisone or cortisone. The biggest risk factor of osteoporosis is age. Throughout your life, your body breaks down old bone and grows new bone. However, when you’re in your 30s, your body starts breaking down bone faster than it’s able to replace it. This leads to bone that’s less dense and more fragile, and thus more prone to breakage.

Menopause is another primary risk factor, which occurs in women around the ages of 45 to 55 years. Due to the change in hormone levels associated with it, menopause can cause a woman’s body to lose bone even more quickly. Men continue to lose bone at this age, but at a slower rate than women do. However, by the time they reach the ages of 65 to 70, women and men are usually losing bone at the same rate. You can control some of these risk factors for osteoporosis, such as poor nutrition and inactivity. For instance, you can improve your diet and start an exercise program can benefit your bone health. However, you can’t control other risk factors, such as your age or gender. You may have heard of senile osteoporosis. This isn’t a separate type — it’s simply osteoporosis that’s caused by aging when other possible secondary causes are excluded. As mentioned above, age is a primary risk factor of osteoporosis. Unless proper prevention or treatment efforts are made, your body’s increasing breakdown of bone can lead to weakened bones and osteoporosis. According to global statistics from the International Osteoporosis Foundation, about one-tenth of women aged 60 have osteoporosis, while two-fifths of women aged 80 have the disease. To check for osteoporosis, your doctor will review your medical history and do a physical exam. They may also run tests of your blood and urine to check for conditions that may cause bone loss. This test is called bone densitometry, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). It uses X-rays to measure the density of the bones in your wrists, hips, or spine. These are the three areas most at risk of osteoporosis. This painless test can take from 10 to 30 minutes.

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