The Doctor Says ...
Osteoporosis: Know About Your Bone Health
Put the brakes on your bone loss.
I happened to see a 56-year-old woman with a history of chronic obstructive lung disease in my office the other day. Besides her inhalers, she was on steroids because of frequent breathing issues. At this visit, I noticed that she had lost 1 centimeter in height since her last visit. An X-ray showed a compression fracture in one of her thoracic vertebra. A DEXA scan was subsequently done, which showed evidence of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis means "porous bones." Osteoporotic bones are weak and brittle with low levels of calcium and other minerals. Twenty percent of all women older than 50 years of age have osteoporosis. Of concern, fractures occur in about half of all women older than 50. Bone mass usually peaks around 20 to 25 years of age…
