Sameena Durrani
Women have unique health concerns — menstrual cycles, pregnancy, birth control, menopause, and many others. A number of health issues affect only women and others are more common among them. What’s more is that men and women may have the same condition, but may have different symptoms. Similarly, many diseases affect women differently and may even require distinct treatment.
Some diseases have a higher ratio of occurrence among females, and one of them is the risk of developing Osteoporosis. There are multiple reasons why women are more likely to get osteoporosis than men and these include the factors:
- Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men.
- Estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply when women reach menopause, which can cause bone loss. This is why the chance of developing osteoporosis increases as women reach menopause.
Therefore, women need to be extra careful as far as their bone health is concerned. Below, are factors that contribute in increasing the risk of the disease besides offering some tips on how to prevent or minimize the risk of osteoporosis.
What Is Osteoporosis:
It is important to first define what exactly is the disease and how it affects women.
Osteoporosis literally means porous bone. It is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced, decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively. As bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs.
Normal bone is composed of protein, collagen, and calcium, all of which give bone its strength. Bones that are affected by osteoporosis can break with a minor injury that normally would not cause a bone to fracture. The fracture can be either in the form of cracking (as in a hip fracture) or collapsing (as in a compression fracture of the vertebrae of the spine). The spine, hips, ribs, and wrists are common areas of bone fractures from osteoporosis although osteoporosis-related fractures can occur in almost any skeletal bone.
Factors And Cause Of Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease that is linked to hereditary factors and therefore there is not much we can do to change it. The following are factors that will increase the risk of developing osteoporosis: Female gender, thin and small body frame, heredity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition especially diet low in calcium, lack of exercise and physical activity, Caucasian or Asian race. Certain medical conditions including malabsorption, menopause, amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycle), chemotherapy, hyperthyroidism, Vitamin D deficiency, etc., may result in causing osteoporosis.
Certain medications can also cause it. These medicines include long-term use of heparin (a blood thinner), antiseizure medicine such as phenytoin and long-term use of oral corticosteroids
Symptoms:
Osteoporosis can be present without any symptoms for decades because osteoporosis doesn’t cause symptoms until bone breaks (fractures). Moreover, some osteoporotic fractures may escape detection for years when they do not cause symptoms. Therefore, patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis until they suffer a painful fracture
Foods Rich in Calcium:
The main foods rich in calcium are dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt. However, many non-dairy sources are also high in this mineral. These include seafood, leafy greens, legumes, dried fruit, tofu and various foods that are fortified with calcium.
Can Osteoporosis be Prevented?
If you already have osteoporosis, medical treatment can prevent further bone loss and reduce your risk of bone fractures. Treatment options for osteoporosis include dietary changes, exercise, lifestyle changes, falls prevention, supplements and medications.
Although, many risk factors such as sex, age, and genes responsible for causing osteoporosis are factors we as humans cannot control (as of now). But by making certain lifestyle changes and adopting a healthy diet that is rich in calcium and enough vitamin D, can help maintain and improve bone health. Regular exercise, in particular, activities that put stress on your bones, such as jumping, running, and weight-bearing exercises, can stimulate bone cells to produce proteins that bolster bone strength. Also, stop smoking and limit excessive alcohol intake.
If you are worried about factors in your life that might contribute to bone loss, talk to your doctor about what you can do now to help prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures in the future.
