Learning the factors behind osteoporosis:
Osteoporosis is related to one of the most important living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced in the human body; bone. It is actually a huge disease that affects men and women of all races but mostly occurs to older white and Asian women who are past menopause. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), worldwide one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will experience osteoporotic bone fractures in their lifetime!
This is mainly because, as the human age increases body will either lose too much bone, makes too little bone or both. As a result, bones become weak and less dense to compare with the healthy ones that looks like a honeycomb when viewed under a microscope. This problem will lead to a fracture on bones from even mild strains such as bending over, sneezing or coughing. For information, common osteoporosis-related fractures are spinal vertebrae, wrist and the hip.
Factors of Osteoporosis
This disease is often called a silent illness since it develops bit by bit hence patient cannot feel their bones weakening until they experience a fracture or break after any minor incident, such as a fall. This is because, breaking a bone is often the first sign of osteoporosis. Other than that, he or she may notice a decrease in height or their upper back is curving forward which made their clothes may not fit as well as they did previously. Another factors are listed below which are:
Reduced sex hormones
Both men and women have the chance to experience osteoporosis if their sex hormones are decreasing. For women, lower estrogen level which may occur in menopause or with early surgical removal of both ovaries appear to make it harder for bone to regenerate. On the other hand, men who suffer from hypogonadism or low testosterone levels are also exposed to the risk of osteoporosis. Other than that, this disease can also affect women who undergo extremely vigorous exercise training women with very low body fat such as women with anorexia nervosa. This is because, these young women are associated with low estrogen or Amenorrhea which is the loss of the menstrual period.
Height and weight
Having a thin and small body frame or being over 5 feet 7 inches tall as well as having weight under 125 pounds could increase the risk.
Genetic can trigger osteoporosis
Having a close family member with a diagnosis of hip fracture or osteoporosis makes osteoporosis more likely. Other than that, close relative with inherited disorders of connective tissue such as skin diseases as Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome could also be a reason for osteoporosis.
Personal history of fracture as an adult
A person over 50 years of age with previous fractures after a low-level injury is more likely to receive a diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Lack of vitamin D could lead to osteoporosis
Since Vitamin-D is also known called the “sunshine” vitamin due to its ability to be absorbed through the skin other than consuming it along with our daily diet. Therefore, Vitamin D main function is to help the body absorb calcium, which is necessary to maintain strong bones but since it is a nutrient found that very few foods, deficiency of the vitamin could potentially increase both the start and spread of bone fractures by up to 31 percent!
Hyperparathyroidism
This is a disease where one or more of the parathyroid glands become overactive and secrete too much parathyroid hormone (PTH), a small gland located near or within the thyroid gland. Normally, parathyroid hormone maintains blood calcium levels by removing calcium from the bone but excessive parathyroid hormone causes too much calcium to be removed from the bone, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Conclusion
Given that osteoporosis is most likely one of the disease that is very common nowadays, it would be wise to practice healthy lifestyle that could be one of your ways to avoid it. Other than that, you could also protect yourself and the loved ones with PolicyStreet’s new insurance policy from Manulife; ManuEz-Med. For more information, visit https://products.policystreet.com/manulife/manuez/overview NOW!