Osteoporosis is a major issue affecting many millions of people worldwide, thus, effective osteoporosis guidelines are a must. Current estimates of osteoporosis incidents around the world show that around 200 million women are affected worldwide, and in Europe, the USA and Japan alone there are over 75 million people suffering from osteoporosis. The net effect of this incident rate is 20 osteoporotic fractures every single minute of the day.
In monetary terms this translates to an estimated $14 billion costs in the USA alone. While there is no cure for osteoporosis, its effects can be slowed with appropriate treatment for osteoporosis and the risk of complications can be mitigated through preventative measures to lessen the chances of bone fractures occurring.
Osteoporosis guidelines lay out the important facts for treatment of osteoporosis, osteoporosis risk factors and osteoporosis exercises. Before looking at each of these factors we need to understand what osteoporosis is and why it occurs.
Types of Osteoporosis
When bone mineral density falls below a certain level the microarchitecture of the bone starts to deteriorate and the protein levels in the bone are affected. At this point the patient can be diagnosed as having one of three types of osteoporosis.
Primary type 1 osteoporosis is the most common and occurs most commonly in post menopausal women. Senile osteoporosis is the second primary osteoporosis and occurs in both male and female elderly patients over the age of 75. The final type occurs at any age and in either sex, and is referred to as secondary osteoporosis.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
All three types of osteoporosis exhibit the same symptoms, increased instances of bone fractures; relatively minor accidents that would not normally result in fractures, will cause broken bones in osteoporosis sufferers.
Due to the gradual degradation of the bone mineral density over a period of years, osteoporosis can be present for years, even decades, before it manifests itself in this manner. The sufferer will commonly not even be aware of the onset of this disease as there are no visible warning signs and no pain during the development phases of the disease.
Osteoporosis Guidelines, Causation and Prevention
Osteoporosis guidelines indicate that lifestyle choice can play a major part in root causes of osteoporosis. Proactive prevention can include the use of medication in addition to adopting a healthy lifestyle. While there is some evidence that genetics play a part in the development of osteoporosis, it is also accepted that smoking and excessive alcohol intake are osteoporosis risk factors that can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis.
As osteoporosis is a defect in the bone, bone strengthening at an early age is an important factor in preventing the disease from developing. A good exercise regime coupled with a healthy diet can help promote a higher peak bone mass that will prove vital in the prevention of osteoporosis at a later age.
Diets should be rich in vitamin D and taken in combination with calcium supplements to yield the best results. One study has shown that this combination can lead to an increase in bone density of 1%, thus reducing the risk of fracture by as much as 16%.
Patients already diagnosed with osteoporosis should approach exercise with care and under supervision to avoid the increased risk of fracture. Valuable osteoporosisexercises given in osteoporosis guidelines include aerobic routines, weights, and resistance exercises. For example squats, press-ups, leg press, and seated rowing have been shown to be particularly effective with Primary Type 1 osteoporosis sufferers. Additionally such an exercise routine when combined with hormone replacement therapy has been shown to increases bone marrow density more than hormone replacement therapy alone.
An important factor in reducing the number of injuries caused by osteoporosis lies in recognition of accepted osteoporosis guidelines. It is an unfortunate but substantiated fact that a lack of awareness of osteoporosis risk factors resulting from under-diagnosis and under-treatment is a primary factor in the high incidence of fractures in sufferers which would otherwise have been preventable.
Following these osteoporosis guidelines will reduce your chances considerably.
