The Silent Thief of Bone

It’s Time to Sound the Alarm About Osteoporosis

There’s a Silent Thief out there, a medical condition that is robbing people of their bone strength without any symptoms until it’s too late and a bone fracture occurs.

That thief is called osteoporosis, a disease that causes the body to lose bone mass more quickly than it can rebuild it. The word “osteoporosis” means “porous bone.” In fact, the disease can cause the bones to become so brittle that bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. The most common fractures with osteoporosis occur in the hip, spine, wrist and shoulder.

Some 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone density, which increases their risk. Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. Indeed, it’s estimated that half of all women will break a bone because of osteoporosis, and half of all adults age 50 and older are at risk of having a fracture and need to have their physician monitor their bone health.

Testing Is Critical
The only way to detect osteoporosis is to have a bone density test. Women who are 65 and older should be tested as well as postmenopausal women under the age of 65 if they have one or more risk factors. Those risk factors include:

  • Being of white or Asian descent
  • Have a family history of the disease
  • Have a small body frame

A DEXA Scan is one of the most accurate ways to measure bone density. It’s safe, painless, non-invasive and takes less than 10 minutes to perform.

Because there are no symptoms with osteoporosis, it’s extremely important that you talk to your OB/GYN or personal physician to see if you need to schedule a bone density test. To find a physician, please call your local hospital.

Source: Mayo Clinic, webMD, National Osteoporosis Foundation