Osteoporosis .. its symptoms, causes and methods of treatment

Have you ever felt sharp pain in your bones or that one of them was easily broken? In the event that the answer is yes, this means greatly that you suffer from osteoporosis, a common disease that causes serious complications in the event that you do not receive the appropriate treatment, during this article you will thoroughly learn about osteoporosis and everything you want to know about it in terms of symptoms, causes, types and how to treat it .
Osteoporosis ... what is it?
It is a bone disease that occurs when the body’s bones gradually lose their density until they are thinned and easily breakable, as the system is a living tissue that changes from birth to adulthood and over time becomes weaker as a result of what is called resorption and what happens in the case of osteoporosis is that this tissue becomes porous and increases It contains spaces, which leads to routine activity or a simple movement such as coughing or bending over to a bone fracture, and this fracture is often in the wrist, spine and thigh bone, and sometimes the fracture may be in the pelvis and ribs.
Symptoms of osteoporosis
Mostly a person with osteoporosis does not show any symptoms, but sometimes he notices the following:
• Feeling sudden severe pain in the bones of the back, as a result of a fracture.
• Holding a hunched posture and losing height as the bones become softer.
• The person becomes vulnerable to fracture more easily than usual, especially in the spine, which is called osteoporosis.
• In some cases, a person may also notice a loss in the jaw bones, where he has gum infections that result in gradual loss of teeth.
Back and neck pain.
Causes of osteoporosis and risk factors for it
You should know, dear reader, that osteoporosis does not occur as a result of a clear and specific cause, but there are some factors that increase the risk of its occurrence, which are the following:
Age
As we mentioned previously, bone is a living tissue that changes until a person reaches adulthood, as the body rebuilds the bones every period until the person reaches the age of thirty, and after that the body’s ability to rebuild bone becomes slower than the process of breaking it, so a person becomes more susceptible to osteoporosis over time as a result. The bone density gradually decreases, so the incidence of osteoporosis among adults is the largest proportion of people with the disease.
Menopause
The incidence of osteoporosis is higher for women than men, as women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, especially after they reach menopause, that is, when their ages range from 45 to 55 years old, and this occurs as a result of major hormonal changes such as a decrease in the estrogen hormone. It affects the speed of bone rebuilding, as women who are obese, excessively thin, or have a family history of the disease have a greater risk of developing the disease.
Hormones
Often times people with thyroid dysfunction become more susceptible to osteoporosis, as these hormones affect basic body processes such as rebuilding bones, especially in cases of hyperthyroidism, and taking a lot of drugs to treat it may lead to a reduction in bone mass, There are also some other glands in which any abnormality may increase the possibility of developing osteoporosis, such as the adrenal gland.
Daily lifestyle
There are some daily habits that you constantly follow that increase the risk of disease, such as smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse.
Medical conditions
There are some medical conditions that increase the risk of osteoporosis, and they are:
Liver and kidney disease.
Inflammatory bowel disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis.
Lupus.
Cancer diseases.
Celiac disease.
Take some medications
There are some types of medicines that take for long periods of time increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, such as medicines that contain corticosteroids such as cortisone, as these medicines negatively affect the bone rebuilding process, and there are some other types of medicines that cause osteoporosis, including medicines That works to stop or treat the following conditions:
• cancer.
Transplant rejection cases.
• gastric reflux.
In the event of seizures.

How to diagnose osteoporosis
In the event that the disease is suspected, the doctor requests a bone density test, or the so-called DEXA examination, which is an examination that shows the following:
Whether the person suffers from bone loss or osteoporosis.
• Predict the risk of future fractures.
• Are there fractures in the spine or not?
Among the osteoporosis tests that the doctor will order are blood and urine tests, to determine that the cause of the disease is not another disease while it occurs as a result of aging.
Osteoporosis treatment
If the disease is confirmed, the patients begin to wonder: Is osteoporosis a chronic disease? In most cases, the answer depends on the severity and degree of the disease, which varies from person to person, so the doctor will develop a treatment plan that includes some healthy habits such as exercising and taking essential vitamins to strengthen bones in addition to osteoporosis drugs that help reduce complications, and examples of these are Medicines include:
• Bifosuvent: It is a type of antiperspirant medicine that helps slow the process of breaking down the bones, which reduces the risk of being easily fractured.
• Medicines containing hormones: such as a medicine called Evista that helps in the secretion of the estrogen hormone, especially for women who are past menopause, and there is also a medicine that contains a hormone called parathyroid hormone that works on the secretion of estrogen as well, knowing that hormone drugs may cause heart disease Or cancer in case of overuse.
Immunomodulatory drugs: such as Romosuzumab, a medicine that works to reduce osteoporosis, especially for women after menopause. It is an injection that is taken under the skin for a year once a month, knowing that these medicines may cause side effects, so they are used only under Doctor supervision.

Prevention of osteoporosis
There are some ways and tips that help prevent osteoporosis, and they are as follows:
Eat protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients that help build healthy and strong bones, so vegetarians are among the most vulnerable people to osteoporosis, and examples of protein-rich foods include:
Legumes like beans and lentils.
Beans.
Soy products.
• Seeds and whole grains such as sunflower seeds.
• eggs.
• Meat, poultry and fish.
Get calcium
To maintain bone health in general, one must be careful to obtain calcium and phosphorous in order to keep the bone mineral density at its normal rate, and the daily dose of calcium is 1000 mg per day for both women and men from 18 to 50 years old, while it increases to 1200 mg per day. For women past menopause and men from the age of 70, calcium is found in the following:
• Dairy products.
• Dark leafy vegetables such as spinach.
Canned salmon and tuna.
• Calcium-rich nutritional supplements that a person must take under the supervision of a doctor.
Soy products such as soybeans and tofu.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is the essential vitamin for maintaining bone health because it helps the body absorb calcium naturally, and it can be obtained when exposed to sunlight without sunblock, preferably between 11 to 3 pm for a quarter of an hour two to three times a week, or from During nutritional supplements.
Doing exercises
Exercising is one of the most healthy habits that maintain the health of your bones, as it helps to strengthen and build muscles in a healthy way, and among the exercises that doctors recommend are strength and weight lifting exercises because they help to strengthen the bones of the spine as well, unlike swimming and cycling exercises That improves heart health, not bone.
Is there a relationship between diabetes and osteoporosis?
Much may not be known about the relationship between diabetes and osteoporosis, as they are related to each other, especially in cases of type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease and often appears early.
Where many studies and scientific research have proven that diabetes affects bone mineral density and bone mass during its construction in the early stages of life, which makes a person more vulnerable to disease and exposure to fractures, specifically if he takes insulin permanently, which causes his bones to thin out gradually, Thanks in this case, the interest in vitamins and minerals important for bones such as calcium and vitamin D.