With more than 3 million cases each year, osteoporosis is a major health concern as people age. This bone disease can cause loss of bone mass over time which can be detrimental to bone health. Fortunately, bone densitometry scans provide patients with information regarding their bone health and if they're at risk for a potential fracture. Let's take a closer look at everything you need to know about this disease.
What is Osteoporosis?
As mentioned above, Osteoporosis is a medical condition that affects your bones by thinning and weakening them. It makes a sufferer fragile and heightens your risk to fracture your bones. If a person with Osteoporosis falls, they are significantly more likely to fracture their bone than a person with healthy bones. According to Health and Bone, 80% of fractures occur in 50+ year old women are fragility fractures.
Who is at risk for developing Osteoporosis?
According to Webmd, women are four times more likely to develop Osteoporosis than men. Even further, women over the age of 50 have the highest risk of developing Osteoporosis. However, anyone is susceptible to developing this condition. A few more risk factors include:
- Petite or thin women
- Family history
- Smoking cigarettes
- Alcohol use
- People over the age of 30 years old
Can I reduce my risk of developing Osteoporosis?
There are definitely ways to reduce your risk of developing this condition that weakens your bones and it is by strengthening your bones! You can go about this a few different ways. For starters, it’s recommended to complete 30 minutes of exercise each day. Another simple way is to ensure you get your daily dose of Vitamin D and calcium. Drink milk, certain vegetables, soy products, and even calcium supplements. Even further you can eliminate alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and soda.
This disease mainly affects older women, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the necessary precautions to strengthen your bones if you don’t fall into this category. After all, we all have bones that are susceptible to growing weak and frail if not treated properly.
Be sure to make your bone health a top priority to avoid fractures and breaks in the future. If you are at risk for osteoporosis, be sure to schedule a DEXA scan with one of our expert radiologists.