We will need some notion of physiology to learn more about osteoporosis . Our body stores most of the calcium in the bones in the period from birth to the end of development, so within the 21-22 years.
The bones are completely renewed in about 6 years and the important thing, after the age of 20, is to prevent the loss of calcium from the bones . In fact the calcium allows the maintenance of the compact texture of the bones and guarantees its robustness.
Bones free of calcium are fragile and easily broken : it is a real disease called osteoporosis. Can we find her, you begin, before it's too late?
Perhaps yes, if we learn to recognize the initial symptoms of osteoporosis.
The initial symptoms of osteoporosis
In most cases, osteoporosis is a silent disease, that is, the symptoms appear when you are already at an advanced stage of the disease, with a bone fragility such that some bones break. How do we do then?
We can initially consider whether we are more at risk of osteoporosis when:
> We have faced prolonged periods of inactivity ;
> there is a genetic predisposition ;
> we have excessive thinness ;
> we often have problems of absorption in the intestine ;
As for the actual symptoms, we remember that they can be confused with those related to other pathologies, here are the main ones:
> kidney stones;
> widespread or localized pains : in the neck, knee, hip, back, hand and wrist;
> muscle pains;
> bone fractures;
> pain in the legs;
> hypercalcemia or high concentration of calcium in the blood;
> posture problems, curvature of the spine.
Beyond the symptoms: the diagnosis of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is diagnosed by the doctor through specific diagnostic tests :
> Computerized Bone Mineralometry or MOC, which assesses the density of bone mass: it uses X-rays to assess the state of bone mineralization and establishes the degree of osteoporosis or the risk of its appearance;
> a radiographic examination to assess if there are recent or previous injuries
> The morphometry of the spine
> Blood and urine tests, which allow us to assess the state of bone metabolism, can identify possible causative factors.
At the onset of initial symptoms: not to aggravate osteoporosis
It will be essential to adopt useful measures to slow down the process and reduce the risk of incurring a fracture.
Some examples of preventive behavior:
> Correct feeding and simultaneous regularization of intestinal absorption
> calcium and vitamin D supplementation
> exercises to increase bone strength and muscle strength
> a possible pharmacological therapy to preserve bone mass or stimulate the formation of new bone tissue, a therapy that will obviously be defined by the attending physician.
