Bone Density: Guide To The Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment Of Osteoporosis

Risk Factors

Bone mass begins to deteriorate after individuals turn thirty-five years old and will continue throughout the remainder of their lifetime, which is why older individuals are the ones most at risk of developing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis may occur more frequently in menopausal and postmenopausal women. In general, women are more prone to osteoporosis than men. It is also more common in Caucasian and Asian races and in individuals who have a family history of osteoporosis. It occurs more commonly in individuals with a small or petite frame and those with a history of bone fractures.

Complications

Bone fractures associated with osteoporosis are considerably painful. They may also decrease the quality of life in those affected. As many as thirty percent of individuals who experience a hip fracture will be placed in a long-term nursing home after a fall. Elderly individuals with osteoporosis are more likely to develop blood clots in leg veins and pneumonia due to bed rest after a hip fracture or fall. Research shows approximately twenty percent of women with osteoporosis who break their hip will die within one year of the fall.