· Osteoporosis or the thinning of bones is rampant in Indian women causing fractures and bone deformities
· The brittle bone syndrome can be prevented if right measures are taken at the right time
Ghaziabad, October, 2014: Osteoporosis is a major ailment that makes old age difficult and risky. The extreme depletion of the bones leaves the afflicted extremely prone to sudden fractures and injury. However, despite it being a very common health issue in India, little is done to spread awareness about preventing the brittle bone syndrome.
It is common to come across the elderly suffering from fractures after a minor fall or just a random bending of the arm. Sometimes, the bones grow so porous that even a seemingly minoractivity like stretching the body to pull the curtain can result in a fracture.
Human body, by design, follows a projectile path, first growing and strengthening with youth, then weakening due to age-related degeneration. As we age, so do our bones. While the process of ageing cannot be stopped, the excessive depletion of the bones can be prevented by adopting a bone friendly diet and healthy lifestyle in the early stages of life.
Dr Rajesh Verma, Consultant, Joint Replacement Surgery, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad says osteoporosis is more common in women than in men Indian women are prone to this problem due to poor nutritional status and lack of awareness about the right kind of diet.
While the depletion of bone minerals is a normal part of ageing and cannot be stopped, its extent can be minimized by taking a few precautions throughout life.
“By the age of 30, our bones reach their maximum level of density. After this age, the bones start losing calcium and other minerals. The rate of bone loss becomes higher than the rate of bone regeneration. Being a progressive process, the bone loss continues throughout life. By the time we reach our 60s, the bone density becomes very low, leaving the bones very weak and fragile,” says Dr Verma.
This bone loss happens in both men and women, but it increases in women after menopause.
“Women who are on steroids due to a medical requirement are at the risk of developing osteoporosis early, as steroids lead to demineralization of bones – or depletion of the bone minerals -- making them porous. Genetic predisposition is also a factor. If one or both of your parents had osteoporosis, you need to be doubly cautious about preventing it. Hormonal changes after menopause are another factor that increases the rate of bone depletion in women at middle age,” adds Dr Verma.
With women of today leading heavily unhealthy lifestyles, including an absence of physical activity, no exposure to the sun, highly unfriendly diet and increasing dependence on smoking and drinking, the brittle bone syndrome is affecting them at younger ages.
Since osteoporosis is a progressive syndrome that takes years, its effects show up when we are old. There are also no symptoms to identify that you are suffering from osteoporosis until a bone fracture actually occurs. In fact, osteoporosis will have started in human body without any warning signs for years, making any remedial measures impossible to take.
It may be an inevitable consequence of ageing, yet osteoporosis can be prevented if careful measures are taken from the initial years of life. With the right type of nutrition, bone strengthening exercises and some lifestyle modifications, the bones can be kept healthy.
Here is what we can do:
· Be aware and start taking care of your body when you are still young. Get a bone density test done once in a while to check how strong your bones are and if you need any medical intervention
· Include adequate amount of calcium in your diet. Drink milk, consume yoghurt, cheese, cereals and nuts like almonds. Consult your doctor and take calcium supplements, especially after pregnancy or a major illness.
· Make sure you get enough vitamin D for your bones. Even if you are scared of turning a shade darker, do spend 15 minutes out in the sun at least thrice a week. Indians are found highly deficient in vitamin D, which is an irony in a tropical country.
· Exercise regularly to keep the bones and muscles healthy. Adopt weight bearing exercises to strengthen the bones, walk and jog every day.
· Avoid smoking. Excessive smoking is not good for any part of the body including bones. The process of healing is believed to be slow in people who smoke.
· The brittle bone syndrome can be prevented if right measures are taken at the right time
Ghaziabad, October, 2014: Osteoporosis is a major ailment that makes old age difficult and risky. The extreme depletion of the bones leaves the afflicted extremely prone to sudden fractures and injury. However, despite it being a very common health issue in India, little is done to spread awareness about preventing the brittle bone syndrome.
It is common to come across the elderly suffering from fractures after a minor fall or just a random bending of the arm. Sometimes, the bones grow so porous that even a seemingly minoractivity like stretching the body to pull the curtain can result in a fracture.
Human body, by design, follows a projectile path, first growing and strengthening with youth, then weakening due to age-related degeneration. As we age, so do our bones. While the process of ageing cannot be stopped, the excessive depletion of the bones can be prevented by adopting a bone friendly diet and healthy lifestyle in the early stages of life.
Dr Rajesh Verma, Consultant, Joint Replacement Surgery, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad says osteoporosis is more common in women than in men Indian women are prone to this problem due to poor nutritional status and lack of awareness about the right kind of diet.
While the depletion of bone minerals is a normal part of ageing and cannot be stopped, its extent can be minimized by taking a few precautions throughout life.
“By the age of 30, our bones reach their maximum level of density. After this age, the bones start losing calcium and other minerals. The rate of bone loss becomes higher than the rate of bone regeneration. Being a progressive process, the bone loss continues throughout life. By the time we reach our 60s, the bone density becomes very low, leaving the bones very weak and fragile,” says Dr Verma.
This bone loss happens in both men and women, but it increases in women after menopause.
“Women who are on steroids due to a medical requirement are at the risk of developing osteoporosis early, as steroids lead to demineralization of bones – or depletion of the bone minerals -- making them porous. Genetic predisposition is also a factor. If one or both of your parents had osteoporosis, you need to be doubly cautious about preventing it. Hormonal changes after menopause are another factor that increases the rate of bone depletion in women at middle age,” adds Dr Verma.
With women of today leading heavily unhealthy lifestyles, including an absence of physical activity, no exposure to the sun, highly unfriendly diet and increasing dependence on smoking and drinking, the brittle bone syndrome is affecting them at younger ages.
Since osteoporosis is a progressive syndrome that takes years, its effects show up when we are old. There are also no symptoms to identify that you are suffering from osteoporosis until a bone fracture actually occurs. In fact, osteoporosis will have started in human body without any warning signs for years, making any remedial measures impossible to take.
It may be an inevitable consequence of ageing, yet osteoporosis can be prevented if careful measures are taken from the initial years of life. With the right type of nutrition, bone strengthening exercises and some lifestyle modifications, the bones can be kept healthy.
Here is what we can do:
· Be aware and start taking care of your body when you are still young. Get a bone density test done once in a while to check how strong your bones are and if you need any medical intervention
· Include adequate amount of calcium in your diet. Drink milk, consume yoghurt, cheese, cereals and nuts like almonds. Consult your doctor and take calcium supplements, especially after pregnancy or a major illness.
· Make sure you get enough vitamin D for your bones. Even if you are scared of turning a shade darker, do spend 15 minutes out in the sun at least thrice a week. Indians are found highly deficient in vitamin D, which is an irony in a tropical country.
· Exercise regularly to keep the bones and muscles healthy. Adopt weight bearing exercises to strengthen the bones, walk and jog every day.
· Avoid smoking. Excessive smoking is not good for any part of the body including bones. The process of healing is believed to be slow in people who smoke.
• Accelerated bone loss after menopause is a major cause of osteoporosis in women, and preventive action is the only recourse, says Dr Rajeev K Sharma leading orthopaedic specialist and joint replacement surgeon
New Delhi, April, 2014: Osteoporosis is a disorder characterized by depleted bones that make you more prone to fractures and injuries. It is also a characteristic that runs parallel to a person’s age and inflicts more women than men. This is why women need to invest in bone health from early on in their lives.
The process called ageing brings in its wake a series of changes in the body. As we grow wiser, we also realize that our body that was once at our command will not be so all our lives. As muscles weaken, eyes give in, hair turns grey and skin loses its sheen, you know they are telling you that they have withered a lot. So are your bones. Bone mass or density is lost as we age. This happens in both men and women but it especially aggravates in women after menopause.
“As a part of ageing processes both men and women lose their bone density by 0.3% to 0.5% after the age of 35 yrs. In women estrogen (a hormone) is important in maintaining bone density. When estrogen levels drop after menopause, the loss of bone density accelerates. Deficiency of calcium and vitamin D can aggravate osteoporosis, though it is not the main and only cause,” says Dr Rajeev K Sharma, leading Orthopedic Specialist and Joint Replacement Surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.
The bones lose calcium, vitamin D and other minerals and start losing their density. In extreme cases they become abnormally porous and fragile and extremely susceptible to fractures. This extreme condition is often described as Osteoporosis and can become a dangerous part of the lives of many an elderly. This is why we hear about so many hip, knee and shoulder fractures in older people. It is hence important to understand the way the condition works and aggravates.
According to estimates, as many as 25 million Indians are likely affected by osteoporosis. In fact, in India osteoporotic fractures may be occurring at a younger age than in the West. Recent research and studies have pointed out to the widespread vitamin D deficiency across India. The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is a major factor in the poor bone health of Indians. Poor sunlight exposure and a vitamin D-deficient diet are some obvious causes.
“The bad news is that osteoporosis will be present in human body without any symptoms for decades and it doesn't cause symptoms until the bones start fracturing. Moreover, some osteoporotic fractures may escape detection for years when they do not cause symptoms. Hence, the patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis problem until they suffer a painful fracture. Depending on the location of fracture the symptoms differ but the usual symptom is pain and disability,” says Dr Sharma.
During the first five to 10 years after menopause, women can suffer up to 2%-4% loss of bone density per year! This can result in the loss of up to 25%-30% of their bone density during that time. Accelerated bone loss after menopause is a major cause of osteoporosis in women. Hormone replacement therapy post-menopause prevents this loss, but is of no major help once the window period of six years post-menopause is over.
Risk factors
• Cigarette smoking
• Alcohol consumption.
• Poor nutrition and a diet low on calcium and vitamin D
• Low estrogen levels
• Chemotherapy that can cause early menopause due to its toxic effects on the ovaries.
• Loss of menstrual period in young women (Amenorrhea) and it can occur in women who undergo extremely vigorous exercise training or with very low body fat, e.g, women with anorexia nervosa.
• Rheumatoid arthritis or liver diseases
• Immobility, such as after a stroke or from any condition that interferes with walking.
• Hyperthyroidis or the problem of excessive sweating
• Long-term use of anti-seizure medications and long-term use of oral steroids.
Prevention
The age old adage that prevention is better than cure holds 100 per cent in the case of osteoporosis. In fact, the only way to prevent osteoporosis is to start working with your bones when they are still young. Do not let bone loss to set in early by faulty practices.
• Eat calcium rich diet
• Ensure adequate exposure to the sun for vitamin D
• Get a routine bone density check-up after the age of 35
• Exercise to strengthen the bone
• Quit smoking and alcohol
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