How do you know if you are prone to osteoporosis?

Answer 1

Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that even mild stresses like bending over, lifting a vacuum cleaner or coughing can cause a fracture. In most cases, bones weaken when you have low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones. Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs such as corticosteroids.

In the early stages of bone loss, you usually have no pain or symptoms. But once bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you may have signs and symptoms that include:

-Back pain, which can be severe if you have a fractured or collapsed vertebra
-Loss of height over time, with an accompanying stooped posture
-Fracture of the vertebrae, wrists, hips or other bones

Screening and diagnosis-

Osteopenia refers to mild bone loss that isn't severe enough to be called osteoporosis, but that increases your risk of osteoporosis. Doctors can detect osteopenia or early signs of osteoporosis using a variety of devices to measure bone density. The best screening test is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). This procedure is quick, simple and gives accurate results. It measures the density of bones in your spine, hip and wrist — the areas most likely to be affected by osteoporosis — and it’s used to accurately follow changes in these bones over time. Other tests that can accurately measure bone density include ultrasound and quantitative computerized tomography (CT) scanning.

If you're a woman, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that you have a bone density test if you aren't taking estrogen and any of the following conditions apply to you:

-You use medications such as prednisone that can cause osteoporosis.
-You have type 1 diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease or a family history of osteoporosis.
-You experienced early menopause.
-You're postmenopausal, older than 50 and have at least one risk factor for osteoporosis.
-You're postmenopausal, older than 65 and have never had a bone density test.

Doctors don't generally recommend osteoporosis screening for men because the disease is less common in men than it is in women.-

Answer 2

You can determine if you are prone to osteoporosis when you exhibit risk factors of osteoprosis. That simply means, the more risk factors you have, the greater is the chance that you will develop it later.


Osteoporosis is a global public health problem. Worldwide, the lifetime risk for a woman to have an osteoporotic fracture is 30-40%; in men the risk is about 13%. Advances in basic and applied research on bone biology have and continue to lead to a better understanding of the role of diet and exercise for bone health.

For references and more articles. You can visit this site.

www.medscape.com/resource/osteoporosis

Answer 3

Osteoporosis is a progressive metabolic bone disease that decreases bone density (bone mass per unit volume), with deterioration of bone structure. Skeletal weakness leads to fractures with minor or inapparent trauma, particularly in the thoracic and lumbar spine, wrist, and hip. Acute or chronic back pain is common. Diagnosis is by dual-energy x‑ray absorptiometry. Prevention and treatment involve Ca and vitamin D supplements, exercises to maximize bone and muscle strength and minimize the risk of falls, and drug therapy to preserve bone mass or stimulate new bone formation. (Merck)
The diagnosis of osteoporosis is made on measuring the bone mineral density (BMD). The most popular method is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA). In addition to the detection of abnormal BMD, the diagnosis of osteoporosis requires investigations into potentially modifiable underlying causes; this may be done with blood tests and X-rays.(Wikipedia)
Please see the web pages for more details on Osteoporosis.

Answer 4

Risk factors:
Age - older places you at more risk
Gender - females at greater risk
Family history
Race - Caucasians and Asians at greater risk
Body weight - thin women at greater risk
Menstrual History - early menopause increases risk
Lifestyle - cigarette smoking, alcohol, calcium intake
Medications - many medications cause bone loss

Answer 5

THEY HAVE TESTS THAT YOU CAN TAKE
ONE IS CALLED BONE DENSITY SCREENING.

JUST HAD ONE AND I NEED VIT D. THE TEST SHOWED I
HAD OSTEOPOROSIS. SO DR IS GOING TO PRESCRIBE THE MEDS TO TAKE
X RAYS OF JOINTS CAN SHOW OSTEOPOROSIS.IN THAT AREA.

Answer 6

Women with poor calcium intake.

Answer 7

if it runs in your family, I guess

Answer 8

what