10:15 PM
Anonymous
Osteoporosis: A Silent Thief!
A young healthy adult can not very imagine that he/she will ever suffer from osteoporosis.
Moreover, when an older individual sustains a fracture or notices a gradual decrease in height, the fir st reaction is: “This cannot be true, this can’t be happening to me.
Osteoporosis slowly but surely nibbles away at the bones, possibly unnoticed for years, until finally it is exposed by the occurrence of a fracture without cause! & so the vicious circle begins & the patient is suddenly confronted by lots of psychological, social & possibly financial issues, which sometimes may appear overwhelming: beginning from the fracture itself, leading to pain, possibly deformities, rage, anxiety, frustration, depression, loss of self-esteem, decreased
mobility & finally even social isolation.
One of the most appropriate & effective sources of help is the local osteoporosis support group, where patients can learn from other patients who have had similar experiences, how best to cope with their new challenges. Unfortunately, lots of individuals who're in danger are unaware
of it & have not yet adopted preventive measures or no gender discrimination it only attacks men later than women; that is to say, at the time of the andropause when the levels of male hormones start to decrease & androgen deāļ ciency occurs from about 50-60 years of age onwards. it's now been calculated that men >50 years have a 13 % lifetime risk for fractures!
Regrettably, some doctors still regard osteoporosis as a “normal” aspect of ageing; a process whereby organisms gradually “lose the capacity to deal with life’s stresses effectively”.
The “ageing process” includes pathophysiological changes such as decreases in muscle & bone mass; & these in turn are brought about by quantitative, structural & functional alterations in mechanisms participating in the control of all the systems in the body. These changes may affect
the structure of individual cells & their constituents such as mitochondria, as well as changes in cytokines & other factors produced by cells.
However, lots of of these mechanisms can be favourably influenced by outside interventions! they can no longer accept osteoporosis as a “normal component” of ageing, which impinges on, or even ruins, the active life of over half of all ladies over 50 years of age, & aslots of men over 70 years!
