6 Facts You must Know About Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces as one ages leading to easy fractures. Women are more likely to be affected by osteoporosis than men and the chances of suffering from osteoporosis in women increase after their menopause. Osteoporosis is classified into three types – Primary I and II and secondary. While primary I osteoporosis or post menopausal osteoporosis is the most common and affects women after menopause, secondary osteoporosis affects both men and women over the age of 75, but it is still skewed towards women as the ratio is 2:1. Secondary osteoporosis also affects both women and men and is caused by the overuse of medicines and steroids and is also called steroid induced osteoporosis. Here are some more facts you should know about osteoporosis.
1. The problem with osteoporosis is that there are no symptoms involved and you will find out about the disease only when you fracture yourself. Normal people do not tend to fracture their bones after a short fall, but if you have osteoporosis a small slip or fall can cause your bones to fracture. You will then be put on medication to increase bone density.
2. Although people of all races suffer from osteoporosis and anyone with a decrease in their bone density has the problem, European and Asiatic races are more predisposed to get the disease than other races.
3. Osteoporosis caused by the use of certain medication is a modifiable risk factor, although use of certain medication cannot be avoided. With non-modifiable risk factors, there is pretty much nothing you can do to avoid it.
