It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide suffer from osteoporosis, and in Hungary, around 650,000 women and 300,000 men are affected by this disease, which has a very serious impact on quality of life.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle.
This means that they can easily break in a fall or a minor collision. Disease-related fractures most commonly occur in the wrist, hip or spine. Unfortunately, in many cases, injuries to the latter two areas can never be recovered from.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced.
Osteoporosis occurs when the formation of new bone cannot keep up with the loss of old bone and its composition deteriorates. While there are typically no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss, there may be signs later on, such as back pain caused by a collapsed vertebra, loss of height, stooped posture, and bones that break easily.
In addition to predisposing factors, lifestyle also plays a role.
In case of women, smoking reduces estrogen production and calcium absorption, and therefore increases the risk of osteoporosis, among many other health risks. In men, excessive alcohol consumption is the most common cause of osteoporosis. This is because too much alcohol reduces bone formation and calcium absorption and also causes calcium loss due to its diuretic effect.
Regular exercise strengthens bones and increases bone formation, but a sedentary lifestyle greatly accelerates bone loss.
However, it is important to be aware that strenuous exercise can easily cause bone fractures in people with severe osteoporosis. People suffering from osteoporosis should only increase the amount of exercise they do every day with cautious physical exercise.
In addition to bone density measurements and X-rays, osteoporosis can be detected by laboratory tests. Laboratory tests can help to detect calcium, phosphate and hormone levels.