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Women at High Risk for Osteoporosis are:
Osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass, is a natural part of the aging process. Those who have it have a much greater tendency for broken bones and fractures, sometimes resulting from a simple trip or fall.
Who is at Particular Risk?
While everyone runs the risk of developing osteoporosis to a certain extent, the largest group of people at high risk are menopausal or post-menopausal women. That's because they are losing estrogen, a hormone essential to retaining bone mass in women.
Screening for Osteoporosis
Screening for the disease is now becoming a part of a standard wellness care regimen. In fact, Medicare recently added regular, two year osteoporosis screenings to its list of standard benefits for those at risk. Screenings are done through a very simple, painless x-ray series, called bone density tests or Dexascans. During this 15-30 minute procedure, special x-rays are taken that measure the bone mass in a patient's wrist, hip and spine. Bone density tests can be done at MKMG's Mt. Kisco office.
Treating the Disease
Treating osteoporosis with medication, vitamins and exercise is simple. It is also very effective in replacing some of the lost bone mass and preventing further deterioration.
"Most women will respond well to treatment and see a measurable difference in their bone mass after 1-2 years," said Dr. Elisa Burns, OB/GYN at MKMG's Mt. Kisco office.
The most common treatment used is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which replaces lost estrogen in menopausal women. It is most effective when taken during the onset of menopause, since this is when a significant amount of bone loss occurs.
Ideally, HRT and other medications are used as a preventive measure before the disease occurs. Dr. Burns offers the treatment to all her menopausal patients, and about half of them currently take the hormone.
Estrogen has been proven to protect against heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. However, many women are reluctant to take it, because it may increase the risk of breast cancer. Estrogen can also result in a return of menstruation and breast tenderness.
Thankfully, there are other options. One new medication, Raloxifene, is an estrogen-related compound which can prevent osteoporosis but has none of estrogen's other side effects.
What You Can Do
Some of the most important preventive steps you can take, like getting plenty of calcium and weight-bearing exercise, require no prescriptions.
Women ages 30 through menopause should get 1,000 mg of calcium per day in their diets. Post-menopausal women who are not on some form of hormone replacement therapy should get 1,500 mg. Milk and other dairy products are the best providers of calcium. Those who can't tolerate dairy products, Dr. Burns said, should use dietary supplements to achieve the adequate level.
Exercise is also essential. While all forms of exercise are important for good health, only weight bearing exercises, or those that work against gravity, help prevent osteoporosis. Walking, jogging, tennis, racquetball, golf, weight and strength training are all good examples.
Women with osteoporosis should consult their doctor about any weight bearing exercises that may be inappropriate for them or that can further damage bones through repeated impact.
Fortunately, through medical knowledge and advances, osteoporosis doesn't have to be a part of every woman's future. If you have questions about osteoporosis, HRT or other treatments, call your MKMG physician. | 