Osteoporosis - The Sneaky Problem That Catches Healthy Women Unawares
Osteoposoris is a serious medical problem can cause major problems for women who are otherwise fit and healthy
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The big surprise that often catches unfortunate middle aged is osteoporosis. Often these women are fit, healthy and active until one day a very unpleasant health surprise suddenly lands them in hospital. Surprisingly, most of the affected women have had no inkling they have a major health problem until they either suddenly collapse or unexpectedly experience severe pain for no obvious reason.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a medical condition that can cause major problems for many older women and quite a few elderly men. This problem can be developing slowly for years and be completely symptomless so that, often, the first indication of a problem is when a bone breaks.
Osteoporosis is the medical condition when bones lose a large proportion of their minerals which leads to them thinning. Thin bones are fragile and will sometimes suddenly break for no obvious reason causing a woman to fall down. Sometimes bones just crack and cause severe pain that has no obvious cause.
Some woman, usually in their late 60's, but occasionally younger, will suffer multiple fractures because of seriously weakened bones. Sometime bones will just break when a woman bends down but often, an otherwise minor stumble or fall will cause a broken bone.
Women who suffer from multiple fractures of the spine can develop a stooped posture, lose height, develop mobility problems and suffer chronic pain. It is a very serious condition and can make life very difficult for affected older women.
Children Need To Build Good Bones To Future Proof Their Health
If young women don't have the right diet, even as a child, the gradual beginnings of this almost irreversible bone will slowly and un-noticeably start, leading to eventual fractures,stooped posture and frailty in old age.
Children, particularly girls, need good calcium rich diets because about 85 to 90% of adult bone mass is laid down by the time they reach 18. After that any increase in bone mass slows until maximum bone density is reached around 23 to 24 years.
Later in life it is difficult to acquire more bone mass but it is possible and it is also possible to prevent or slow down bone mass loss in middle age.
Symptoms Often Don't Show Until Middle Age
Most women do not show any symptoms until after menopause. However, osteoporosis does eventually affect about 20% of all women. In all, about 52% of women have significant bone density loss making them vulnerable to breaking bones from even minor falls. In some cases fractures are just spontaneous, occurring for no obvious reason and may show up, for example, as back pain that is later found to be a fracture in the spine.
A woman can lose one fifth of her bone mass within five to seven years after the onset of menopause which makes post menopausal women very susceptible bone fractures. In fact 1 in 3 women over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, usually the hip, ribs or wrist, with one third of women aged over 65 suffering a fracture of the spine.
The full story on osteoporosis and how it can be prevented or treated can be found in the article
Osteoporosis Sneaks Up On Healthy Women (And Men)'.
Osteoporosis - The Sneaky Problem That Catches Healthy Women Unawares
By: Ian Miller - Health Writer
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