Health Prose: A One-Minute Update for Your Health

Osteoporosis: The Silent Disease

University of Iowa Health Science Relations
First Published: 2003
Last Revised: December 2003
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

Osteoporosis is called the silent disease because bone loss occurs without symptoms. "You may not know that your bones have become porous (not as dense) until a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture," says Susan Johnson, M.D., M.S., UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

While more than 10 million Americans already have osteoporosis, another 34 million have low bone mass, the harbinger of osteoporosis. Of the 10 million who have it, eight million are women.

Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause.

One in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will face an osteoporosis-related bone fracture sometime during their life. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis is responsible for 1.5 million fractures annually:

• 300,000 hip fractures
• 700,000 vertebral fractures
• 250,000 wrist fractures
• 300,000 fractures at other sites

A woman's risk of fracturing her hip is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

Are you at risk?

Age: The older you are, the greater your risk. Bones become weaker and less dense with age.

Gender: The chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are a woman, especially after menopause.

Family history: Susceptibility to fractures may be part of heredity. Race: Caucasian and Asian women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, but African American and Hispanic women are also vulnerable.

Bone structure and body weight: Small-boned, thin women (under 125 pounds) are at greater risk.

Anorexia nervosa: Poor nutrition increases your risk.

Lifestyle habits: Risks include smoking, excessive alcohol use, low calcium intake, inadequate physical exercise.

Men can get it too
Osteoporosis is not just a women's disease. It is a lot more common in men than most men realize. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, two million American men have osteoporosis and another 12 million are at risk.

As with women, the best way to diagnose osteoporosis is with a bone density test.

Family history, being over the age of 50, loss of height, and unexplained back pain are possible indicators of osteoporosis in men.

How do you fight osteoporosis?
While there is no cure, it is not an impossible battle. In fact, there are some simple steps you can take to help your body maintain or increase the levels of bone mineral density.

• By the age of 20, the average woman has 98 percent of her body mass. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can be the best deterrent to osteoporosis.
• Do you include adequate levels of calcium and Vitamin D in your diet?
• Do you make weight-bearing exercise part of your routine?
• Do you lead a healthy lifestyle, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol use?
• Have you had a bone density test to determine your risk?

Should you get a bone mass measurement?
A bone mass measurement--measuring bone mineral density--is the only way to determine your fracture risk for osteoporosis. According to the North American Menopause Society and the American College of Physicians, bone mass measurement should be performed on:

• All women over the age of 65 regardless of risk factors
• Postmenopausal women under age 65 with one or more risk factors that include being a smoker, weighing under 125 pounds, having a mother or sister who has had a hip fracture, or having a fracture after the age of 40
• Individuals undergoing long-term steroid therapy
• Individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism
• Men or women over the age of 50:
  • Who have lost at least two inches in height
  • With unexplained back pain
  • Whose posture has changed
  • With lifestyle habits that include smoking, excessive alcohol use, low calcium intake, inadequate physical exercise

Section Top | Title Page

See related Patient Topics Bones, Joints and Muscles, Osteoporosis, Seniors' Health or Women's Health.

See related Provider Topics Bones, Joints and Muscles, Osteoporosis, Seniors' Health or Women's Health.

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