OSTEOPOROSIS: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC
Osteoporosis (or brittle bone disease) is now recognised as a major public health problem involving enormous costs to the individual, the NHS (£2.3 billion a year) and to society. 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture, mainly due to osteoporosis. The fragility of the bones can cause pain, disability and death and results in more than 230,000 fractures every year.
Like every other part of the living body, bone is constantly being rebuilt. When the rate of rebuilding fails to match the rate of breakdown, a steady loss of bone results in the onset of osteoporosis. There are no symptoms for osteoporosis and it is often not diagnosed until a fracture actually occurs,
hence its title ‘the silent epidemic’.
Osteoporosis can be hereditary and there are also several other risk factors which include early natural or surgical menopause, long term steroid use, anorexia nervosa, alcohol or tobacco abuse, sedentary lifestyle, hyperparathyroidism, lack of sunshine and poor nutrition.
However, bone density can be improved through diet and lifestyle, thereby delaying or even preventing osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise such as running, jogging, tennis and aerobics encourages the body to produce new bone. Foods which either contain calcium or help the absorption of calcium into the bone include oily fish, green leafy vegetables, non-citrus fruit, nuts and seeds.
Magnesium and vitamin D are essential for absorption of calcium.
Adults of all ages would benefit from an ultrasound scan which is quick, accurate, painless and
non-invasive. The results are printed in the form of an easy-to-read graph which shows a comparison to
age and also a marker set by the World Health Organisation to show osteoporotic fracture risk.
For further information please contact :
Karen Layzell Tel: 01702 589690
www.osteoporosisscreeningservice.com.