8.30.05

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease, affects 44 million Americans who are 50 years of age and over. And it's believed that many more people may have it and do not know it.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which leads to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures. Dr. Casey Younkin, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says most people have no symptoms until they develop a fracture.

SOUND BITE: "Patients might notice, though, that they are losing height. Some women might notice their clothes don’t fit as well. They might notice they’re developing a hump on their back. That’s called a dowager’s hump. It involves the curvature of the spine. That curvature develops because the bones are weakening."

The people at highest risk for the disease are white, thin women age 50 or over, but men also can have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can be detected by a bone density scan, an out-patient test, which is usually covered by insurance companies and Medicare. Although there is no cure for the disease, medications are available to treat osteoporosis by increasing bone mass.

SOUND BITE: " . . . we have three medications that are very effective at actually rebuilding bone. And those medications are Foxamax, Actonel and Boniva. They all work by stopping that re-asorbtion of bone and begin getting growth of new bone. They can’t completely reverse the disease, but they can definitely decrease the risk of fractures ."

Dr. Younkin says all women over the age of 50 need to take 1,000 milligrams of calcium as well as Vitamin D each day. If you or someone you know is losing height, it might be a sign of osteoporosis. Contact your primary care physician for evaluation and possible treatment.