2. Learning outcomes
Explain and identify the disease.
Discuss the reason behind the name silent thief.
Identify different causes of osteoporosis.
Understand and explain the causes of the disease.
3. Introduction
Osteoporosis, or thinning bones, can result in painful
fractures. Risk factors for osteoporosis include aging,
being female, low body weight, menopause, smoking,
and some medications.
4. What is Osteoporosis ?
“Silent Thief”
Is a disease in which the density and
quality of bone are reduced. As bones
become more porous and fragile, the
risk of fracture is greatly increased.
The loss of bone occurs silently and
progressively. Often there are no
symptoms until the first fracture
occurs.
5. What is Osteoporosis ?
“Silent Thief”
Osteoporosis is called “the silent
thief” because bone loss occurs
without symptoms. People may not be
aware that they have the disease until
their bones become so weak that a
sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a
fracture or collapsed vertebra.
7. What causes osteoporosis?
1. Low Estrogen in Women
Bone loss accelerates after menopause,
when older women have a quick drop in
estrogen. Over time, the risk of
osteoporosis and fracture increases as
older women lose more bone than they
replace.
8. What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
2. Low Testosterone in Men
Men need both testosterone and estrogen for
bone health. That's because men convert
testosterone into bone-preserving estrogen.
3. Other Hormone Imbalances
Several other hormones play a role in
regulating your bone density, including
parathyroid hormone and growth hormone.
They help orchestrate how well your bones
use calcium -- and when to build up and
break down bone.
9. 4. Lack of Calcium
Bones are the reservoir for two minerals -- calcium and
phosphorus. You need a constant level of calcium in your
blood since many of your organs, especially your heart,
muscles, and nerves, depend on calcium. When these
organs demand calcium, they'll steal it from the mineral
storehouse in your bones. Over time, as you deplete the
mineral reservoir in your bones, you end up with thin,
brittle bones.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
10. 5. Lack of Vitamin D
Too little vitamin D can lead to weak bones and
increased bone loss. Active vitamin D, also called
calcitriol, is more like a hormone than a vitamin. Among
its many benefits, vitamin D helps your body to absorb
and use calcium.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
11. 6. A Sedentary Lifestyle
Bones weaken if they aren't worked. Remember the early
astronauts? They suffered rapid bone loss from being
weightless in space. For people who are sedentary or
have a condition like paralysis or muscular dystrophy,
bone loss happens quickly. As a cause of osteoporosis,
this one's in your hands. You can help "remodel" your
bones with weight-bearing exercise, where you're
putting gentle stress on bones.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
12. 7. Thyroid Conditions
High levels of thyroid hormone have long been linked to
an increase in bone loss. But, if you look at the long-
term bone densities of patients who are on high doses of
thyroid pills, they're not dramatically different, and their
fracture risk isn't dramatically different."
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
13. 8. Smoking
Smokers suffer from lower bone density and a higher risk
of fracture than non-smokers. Studies on smoking and
bone health have turned up a host of other dire effects,
from direct toxic effects of nicotine on bone cells to
blocking the body's ability to use estrogen, calcium, and
vitamin D.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
14. 9. Medications
Taking certain medications may lead to bone loss and an
increase in bone fractures. Most common are
corticosteroids, also known as cortisone, hydrocortisone,
glucocortisoids, and prednisone. These drugs are used to
treat asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, colitis, and
a wide range of other conditions. Antiseizure drugs are
linked to bone loss, as well.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
15. 10. Medical Conditions
A host of medical conditions can lead to bone loss, from
genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis to digestive diseases
to the tumors called multiple myeloma, which infiltrate
bones with abnormal cells. Abnormal calcium excretion
also contributes to bone loss.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
16. 11. Too Much Alcohol
Alcohol can arrest bone remodeling and increase your
calcium loss. Being tipsy increases the risk of falling, and
with osteoporosis, that means you're risking a fracture.
What causes osteoporosis? (cont.)
