Introduction to Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that causes bones to become weak, fragile, and more likely to fracture. Understanding osteoporosis, its symptoms, causes, and prevention strategies can help support long-term bone health.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone.Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races. But white and Asian women, especially older women who are past menopause, are at highest risk. Medicines, healthy diet and weight-bearing exercise can help prevent bone loss or strengthen already weak bones.
Symptoms
–Loss of height over time.
–A stooped posture.
–A bone that breaks much more easily than expected.
Causes
Your bones are in a constant state of renewal — new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you’re young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone and your bone mass increases. After the early 20s this process slows, and most people reach their peak bone mass by age 30. As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it’s created.
How likely you are to develop osteoporosis depends partly on how much bone mass you attained in your youth. Peak bone mass is partly inherited and varies also by ethnic group. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have “in the bank” and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.
Risk factors
A number of factors can increase the likelihood that you’ll develop osteoporosis — including your age, race, lifestyle choices, and medical conditions and treatments.
Unchangeable risks
Some risk factors for osteoporosis are out of your control, including:
—Your sex. Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than are men.
—Age. The older you get, the greater your risk of osteoporosis.
—Race. You’re at greatest risk of osteoporosis if you’re white or of Asian descent.
—Family history. Having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk, especially if your mother or father fractured a hip.
—Body frame size. Men and women who have small body frames tend to have a higher risk because they might have less bone mass to draw from as they age.
Hormone levels
Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or too little of certain hormones in their bodies. Examples include:
—Sex hormones. Lowered sex hormone levels tend to weaken bone. The fall in estrogen levels in women at menopause is one of the strongest risk factors for developing osteoporosis. Treatments for prostate cancer that reduce testosterone levels in men and treatments for breast cancer that reduce estrogen levels in women are likely to accelerate bone loss.
—Thyroid problems. Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. This can occur if your thyroid is overactive or if you take too much thyroid hormone medicine to treat an underactive thyroid.
—Other glands. Osteoporosis has also been associated with overactive parathyroid and adrenal glands.
Dietary factors
Osteoporosis is more likely to occur in people who have:
—Low calcium intake. A lifelong lack of calcium plays a role in the development of osteoporosis. Low calcium intake contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.
—Eating disorders. Severely restricting food intake and being underweight weakens bone in both men and women.
—Gastrointestinal surgery. Surgery to reduce the size of your stomach or to remove part of the intestine limits the amount of surface area available to absorb nutrients, including calcium. These surgeries include those to help you lose weight and for other gastrointestinal disorders.
Complications
Bone breaks, particularly in the spine or hip, are the most serious complications of osteoporosis. Hip fractures often are caused by a fall and can result in disability and even an increased risk of death within the first year after the injury.
In some cases, broken bones in the spine can occur even if you haven’t fallen. The bones that make up your spine, called vertebrae, can weaken to the point of collapsing, which can result in back pain, lost height and a hunched-forward posture.
Drug peptide
Semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors. It is unknown whether OZEMPIC causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans…
Tirzepatide causes thyroid C-cell tumors in rats. It is unknown whether MOUNJARO causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma…
Retatrutide (LY3437943) is a triple agonist peptide of glucagon receptor (GCGR), glucose-dependent insulin-promoting peptide receptor (GIPR), and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R)…
Cagrilintide is an investigational long-acting acylated amylin analogue acting as a nonselective amylin receptor (AMYR) and calcitonin G protein-coupled receptor (CTR) agonist…
Linaclotide is a potent and selective guanylate cyclase-C agonist developed for treatment of IBS-C and chronic constipation…
