subject: Osteoporosis, Treatment, And Issues [print this page] Forty million Fosamax prescriptions are given to men and women every year. This is the reason why it is considered to be the most commonly prescribed alendronate sodium. It is given to people who suffer from osteoporosis and other bone diseases that involve bone density loss. Osteoporosis is quite a sad situation in the U.S because around 10 million people are suffering from it. As osteoporosis is even considered a health disaster in the U.K, Americans are not alone.
It can be agreeable that osteoporosis is one of the most common type of bone disease that affects both men and women. It is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. Researchers claim that out of one in every five American women beyond the age 50 suffered from osteoporosis.
What mainly causes osteoporosis are the drop of estrogen level in women during menopause and the drop of testosterone level in men. Women over 50 and men beyond 70 years old become highly prone to osteoporosis. Additionally, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, eating disorders and/or vitamins D deficiency may also be the root of osteoporosis.
Risk factors that may predispose people to osteoporosis are subdivided into modifiable and non-modifiable categories. It is important that we know about these information for awareness of what we can do to prevent osteoporosis.
The non-modifiable factors for osteoporosis include:
Advanced age
Race (European or Asian although osteoporosis occurs in people from all ethnic group)
Family history
The potentially modifiable risk factors of osteoporosis include:
Excessive alcohol intake
Smoking
Low body weight
Too little calcium in the diet
In the early stage of osteoporosis, one may not experience any symptoms. But as the disease develops, it may manifest the following symptoms:
Bone pain or tenderness
Low back pain and/or neck pain due to fractures of the spine
Stooped posture or kyphosis, also known as dowagers hump
The medical treatment for osteoporosis may include biphosphonates, calcitonin, hormone replacement therapy, regular exercise and diet rich in vitamin D and calcium. Additionally, ceasing hazardous health hazards like drinking alcohol and smoking may also be helpful.
Biphosphonate drugs like Fosamax still remain as the treatment of choice for osteoporosis. The issues being faced by Fosamax is not new to the public. The filing of Fosamax lawsuit appears to be gaining ground. The important question is where will this take us?
