Some health conditions can be quite obvious, like back pain for kidney trouble, but a common bone problem may only present itself when it’s a clear danger to our wellness. It’s not usually possible for health authorities to regularly screen us for every potential issue to our wellbeing, so we can miss ‘silent’ problems like osteoporosis.
What to look for
There are quite a few wellness issues that can go undetected until we need medical intervention, like diabetes and high/low blood pressure. Although there have been national screening initiatives to combat these problems, that is not yet the case for osteoporosis. Up to three million of us in the UK have this condition, with many more of us suffering low bone mineral density (BMD) called osteopenia. Sometimes we don’t know we have brittle bones until we have a fairly minor fall that leads to a broken bone followed by BMD testing where the condition is confirmed.
High risk
But, if we’re in at-risks groups then we can visit our GPs to talk over concerns we have. To make strong bones, we need vitamins, minerals and a delicate balance of hormones to regulate the cells that make bone tissue. So when these are affected we could be at risk of getting the condition. Post-menopausal women, and those of us who have taken some cancer drugs, steroids or men who suffer low testosterone levels could be more likely to get brittle bones. Celiac and Crohn’s disease sufferers may also be at-risk because of the fewer nutrients absorbed in the intestines. A big factor in osteoporosis is our age, as we lose bone cells over time so we’re more likely to have low BMD as we get older and our bones get thinner.
What next?
Osteoporosis doesn’t mean we have to live a completely different life to the one we do now. It is likely doctors will encourage us to bolster our diets with calcium and Vitamin D and encourage us to keep active to boost BMD. We may also be offered bone building medication and be advised to remove tripping hazards from our homes so we’re less likely to fall.
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