Home > Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which the amount of bone is decreased and the strength of trabecular bone is reduced, cortical bone becomes thin and bones are susceptible to fracture. It is defined according to the bone mineral density (BMD) as measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. A BMD of 2.5 standard deviations below the 20 year old person standard is considered osteoporosis.1 Scope of problem
It is estimated that 10 million Americans have established osteoporosis and another 34 million have osteopenia, or low bone mass, which leads to osteoporosis. It is responsible for 1.5 millions fractures annually, mostly involving the lumbar vertebrae, hip, and wrist. About 50% of women and 25% of men are expected to have osteoporosis in their lifetime. The estimated national direct expenditures (hospitals and nursing homes) for osteoporotic and associated fractures was $17 billion in 2001.
2 Etiology
Estrogen deficiency following menopause causes a rapid reduction in BMD. This, plus the increased risk of falling associated with aging, leads to fractures of the wrist, spine and hip. Other hormone deficiency states can lead to osteoporosis, such as testosterone deficiency. Glucocorticoid or thyroxine excess states also lead to osteoporosis. Lastly, calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency from malnutrition increases the risk of osteoporosis.
List of disorders associated with osteoporosis:
- Hypogonadal states - Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, anorexia nervosaNote: Wikipedia does not provide medical advice. If you have a medical problem, you should seek expert help. Anorexia nervosa anorexia is an eating disorder characterised by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. Anorexia nervosa is a complex disease,, hypothalamicIn the anatomy of mammals, the hypothalamus is a region of the brain located below the thalamus, forming the major portion of the ventral region of the diencephalon and functioning to regulate certain metabolic processes and other autonomic activities. amenorrhea, hyperprolactinemia.
- Endocrine disorders - Cushing's syndromeCushing's syndrome or hypercortisolism is an endocrine disorder caused by excessive levels of the endogenous corticosteroid hormone cortisol. It may also be induced iatrogenically by treatment with exogenous corticosteroids for other medical conditions., hyperparathyroidismIn medicine ( endocrinology), hyperparathyroidism is overactivity of the parathyroid glands and excess production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Consequences are weakness of bone tissue (predisposing for fracture) and hypercalcemia (high calcium levels)., thyrotoxicosis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, acromegaly, adrenal insufficiency
- Nutritional and gastrointestinal disorders - malnutrition, parenteral nutrition, malabsorption syndromes, gastrectomy, severe liver disease (especially biliary cirrhosis ), pernicious anemia.
- Rheumatologic disorders - rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
- Hematologic disorders/malignancy - multiple myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia, mastocytosis, hemophilia, thalassemia.
- Inherited disorders - osteogenesis imperfecta, Marfan syndrome, hemochromatosis, hypophosphatasia , glycogen storage diseases, homocystinuria, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, porphyria, Menkes' syndrome , epidermolysis bullosa.
- Other disorders - immobilization , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pregnancy and lactation, scoliosis, multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis
