Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a medical term for the thinning and weakening of the bones, it literally means 'porous bones'. If this deterioration in the bones goes untreated, our skeleton eventually becomes very fragile and some bones will be likely to break or fracture with a minor bump or fall.                                                               
Bone is living tissue made largely of calcium and when we are young, our bones, like other parts of our body, are constantly being renewed - as old cells wear out they are replaced by healthy new ones.                                                               

However, as we get older, more cells wear out than are being replaced and so the bone starts to lose its density (mass). The bones become weakened and when bones are weak they are more likely to fracture or break, they will also take longer to heal. 

Unfortunately, because your bones are hidden and the thinning of the bones does not cause any symptoms, most people do not know that they are suffering from osteoporosis, until they have the unfortunate experience of breaking a hip or wrist due to a minor fall.

Loss of bone in itself has no effect, on the body unless a fracture occurs. When the bones are significantly thinned (low in bone mass) even a simple cough or sneeze could cause a fracture of a rib. It is estimated that around 60,000 fractures occur every year in people aged 65 or over.

Other symptoms of osteoporosis can include:

-Height loss.
-Curving of the spine, also called Kyphosis. This can become so severe that the chin   is forced on to the chest and can cause breathing problems.
-Unexplained back pain.                                                                           
The severity of the condition can vary from person to person. However, there are a number of factors that may put some people more at risk of developing osteoporosis earlier or more severe than others, they are as follows:-                                                                             Contd....

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