24
wonder women
The HEALTH | AUGUST, 2018
DECCAN CHRONICLE
The visible changes in
bone structure for persons
with osteoporosis from
30, 50 and 70 years.
Implications Recommendation
High risk
61% will have OP on
Suggest to measure BMD and consider
BMD measurement
pharmacologic treatment if BMD is not available,
espcially if other risk factors are present
Medium risk 15% will have OP on
Suggest to measure BMD and consider
BMD measurement
pharmacologic treatment if BMD is low
Low risk
3% will have OP on
BMD measurement is usually not necessary
BMD measurement
unless other risk factors are present
BMD: bone mineral density, OP: ostcoporosis.
Osteoporosis
Reference for OSTA: Koh LKH, Sedrine WB, Torraba TP, Kung A, Fujiwara S, Chan SP, et al. On behalf
of the osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians (OSTA) Research group. A simple tool to
identify Asian women at increased risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 2001;12:699e705
When bones break down at a quicker pace
MOVING WITHOUT PAIN
O
STEOPOROSIS means “porous
bone” — the inner bones which are
full with holes and spaces.
University of Malaya, Faculty of
Medicine Department of Medicine
senior lecturer and consultant Endocrinologist
Dr Lee Ling Lim emphasised that it is a bone
disease which occurs when the body makes too
little bone or the body losses too much bone,
or both.
“Therefore, bones become weak and are
more likely to break from a fall, typically from
a standing height (aka “low-trauma” fracture)”.
What makes a women more
susceptible to it?
During childhood and adolescence, more bones
are deposited and thus, the skeleton grows in
size and density.
“The amount of bone tissue in skeleton (aka
bone mass) can keep growing until around
age 30. By then, bones have reached their
maximum strength and density (aka peak bone
mass). Between age 30 and menopause, there is
minimal change in total bone mass.”
“However, during the first few years after
menopause, most women have rapid bone loss
due to the loss of oestrogens, which then slows
but continues throughout the postmenopausal
period. This loss of bone mass can lead to
osteoporosis”, she said.
THE aims of treatment for osteoporosis
are to avoid the risk factors as listed and
to prevent falls/fractures.
Lifestyle
• Exercise: The best activity is weight-
bearing exercise such as brisk walking,
hiking, jogging, playing tennis, danc-
ing and weight training.
• Quit smoking
• Moderate alcohol intake (lesser than
three units per day)
• Adequate sunshine exposure
Medications: There are oral and inject-
able agents which act by either slowing
bone loss or promoting bone formation to
a certain extent. To name a few – bisphos-
phonates (alendronate, zoledronate and
ibandronate), denosumab, teriparatide,
raloxifene and hormone therapy. Discus-
sion with health care professionals on the
appropriate medications is required.
O
The four stages of osteoporosis.
Age group affected?
Women who have attained menopause. In gen-
eral, women aged 50 years or older are at risk.
There are some risk factors for osteoporosis:
• Menopause before age 45 such as surgical
removal of ovaries (oophorectomy)
• Family history of osteoporosis or low-trauma
fracture in first degree of relatives
• Low calcium/vi