Osteoporosis: The Silent Crippler

Much like hypertension, osteoporosis is a "silent" disease, usually without symptoms until fractures occur - most often involving the spine, hip or wrist. Simply stated, osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones that happens to all of us as we get older. If this deterioration in our bones goes untreated, our skeleton eventually will become extremely fragile, and some bones will be likely to break - or fracture - with very little trauma. Although the process of bones loss begins gradually when we are in our mid to late thirties, it is so slow that it may take many years before we become aware of it. Women, generally, are at greater risk of developing osteoporosis than men. This is because, following the menopause, women experience a rapid loss of bone from the skeleton due to the decrease in estrogen production. Who are at Risk? It is a fact of life that, as we grow older, our bones become thinner and weaker. In theory, therefore, we are all at risk of developing osteoporosis. Certain factors may accelerate this process, however, and it is important that we become aware of them. Menopause. Women are at greater risk of developing osteoporosis than men. Of course, this does not mean that every woman will get osteoporosis, simply that osteoporosis occurs with greater frequency in women. After the menopause, the ovaries stop producing the female hormone, estrogen. Estrogen is important for maintaining bone strength. Without estrogen, bone loses calcium - one of its most important components. If you have had a particularly early menopause (before the age of 45, for example), your bones will have lost the important benefits of estrogen much earlier than usual, and it is likely that you are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis.

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