Prevention of osteoporosis in women and men: how to prevent the disease

What is it, osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is one of the common diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which affects women more. The destruction of bone tissue of the human skeleton is caused not only by metabolic imbalance and genetic factors, but also by an unhealthy lifestyle. The disease is chronic, progressive, systemic in nature, and in most cases can be asymptomatic for a long time.

During the period of illness, the density of bone tissue decreases, it becomes fragile, which leads to bone fractures. There are two types of osteoporosis:

1. Primary. Bone is destroyed due to inevitable age-related changes, namely the aging of the body. In women, with age, the level of the hormone estrogen decreases, and in men, progesterone, which leads to pathological changes in bone tissue.
2. Secondary. It can be triggered by many factors: hormonal imbalance, endocrine and metabolic processes, a decrease in the amount of calcium and magnesium in the bones.

Prevention of osteoporosis in women prevents the risk of developing the disease in old age. It needs to start as early as possible.

The need to prevent osteoporosis

The disease is not infectious and may not manifest itself in any way in the initial stages. It may take 1.5-2 years before clinical symptoms of the disease appear. Prevention of osteoporosis is the first key to health and preventing the development of a severe disease. Everyone should know how to prevent osteoporosis. To do this, you need to pay attention to the first signs of the disease:

• often in adults there is a decrease in height by 1.5-2.0 cm;
• visible postural disorders appear - senile stoop, curvature of the spine;
• if more than 2 fractures occur per year, prevention of osteoporosis in women after 40 years of age should begin immediately;
• painful sensations in the lower back and thoracic spine, which intensify during heavy loads, with prolonged stay in one position and physical exercise;
• unpleasant pain in the pelvic bones, hip and ankle joints;
• leg cramps;
• hernias in intervertebral discs;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• periodontal disease, plaque on teeth;
• fragile, peeling nail plate;
• early gray hair;
• performance decreases due to general muscle weakness and fatigue, and heart rate increases.

Prevention of osteoporosis in women is desirable on a regular basis. After diagnosing the disease using x-rays or measuring bone density with a densitometer, prevention of osteoporosis in women after 40 years of age should be observed regularly.

Diagnosis of osteoporosis at the Longevity Center

Specialists at the Longevity Medical Center conduct an initial examination and, if necessary, prescribe examinations for patients with symptoms of osteoporosis. The most common method of early detection of the disease is radiography of the thoracic vertebrae, which allows one to determine the decrease in bone density in the most vulnerable place. In this part of the spine, structural changes most often begin earlier than in other parts, so the disease can be detected earlier.

Other research methods are also used (x-ray absorptiometry, computed or magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound), the feasibility of which depends on many factors and is selected by the attending physician of the medical center.

Prevention of osteoporosis in women and men

It has been clinically proven that it is impossible to completely cure osteoporosis, but preventing osteoporosis before the age of 60 helps to significantly reduce pain and stop the progression of the disease. It is necessary to follow a certain routine and monitor your health.

Proper nutrition

Prevention of osteoporosis at 60 years of age, first of all, should begin with maintaining a balanced diet. You need to eat foods containing a lot of magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. The menu should include fermented milk products, fish, egg yolk, liver, fresh herbs, sprouted grains and soybeans, animal products, vegetable oils, cheeses, legumes, and nuts.

Products must contain sufficient fat. It is not recommended to go on diets. Products must be nutritious and have good energy value. Alcohol and caffeine-containing products should be completely avoided.

Healthy lifestyle

Prevention of osteoporosis after 60 years depends on the lifestyle a person led in his youth. People who do not abuse alcohol, lead a sedentary lifestyle, do not smoke, try to avoid overeating and excessive use of medications, especially antibiotics (without a doctor’s prescription), suffer less from osteoporosis in old age.

Drugs

Prevention of osteoporosis after 60 can be carried out using calcium-containing medications. Women before menopause should consume 1000 mg of calcium per day (after - 1500 mg). Pregnant, lactating and young people under 25 years of age – 1200 mg/day. Men under 50 years old – 800 mg/day. Can be combined with bisphosphonate drugs that block osteoclast activity.

Physical training

Sports and physical exercise wonderfully strengthen the muscles and musculoskeletal system. Prevents stagnation in muscles and bones, slows down the loss of bone tissue in old age.

Treatment of chronic diseases

Most chronic diseases can lead to osteoporosis, especially in women with hormonal imbalances. This is often due to a lack of estrogen, kidney, liver and gastrointestinal diseases.

Sunbathing

The most powerful source of vitamin D is the sun, which triggers its synthesis at the cellular level. You should spend more time outdoors and sunbathe (in moderation).

Medical supervision

One of the ways to prevent osteoporosis in women is periodic examination, timely diagnosis and treatment of the slightest signs of the disease under the supervision of a doctor.

City hospital of the resort city of Gelendzhik

Since the middle of the last century, a real “silent epidemic” has gripped the world. This is the name given to the spread of osteoporosis due to the hidden nature of its development. It was from this period of time that osteoporosis began to be considered a disease, not because it is of recent origin, but because it began to be professionally diagnosed only with the latest advances in medicine. According to experts from the World Health Organization, osteoporosis is the cause of 90% of fractures in people over 65 years of age and, like myocardial infarction, its development is mainly due to lifestyle.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease caused by a lack of calcium in bone tissue. The bones become so fragile that they break like matchsticks even with a light load or a contusion, which in healthy people would only cause a bruise. But that's not the worst thing. The bone recovers very poorly after such fractures and the result of several fractures can be disability. The disease especially often develops in the vertebrae, pelvic bones, hips (femoral neck), wrists and forearms. Osteoporosis is more common in women than men, usually after age 45. Before menopause, the amount of estrogen in a woman's body decreases greatly - and estrogen plays an important role in maintaining calcium in the bones. After menopause, so-called postmenopausal osteoporosis develops. Men have higher bone mass and are not as susceptible to hormonal changes in old age.

Risk factors for the development of osteoporosis.

• Genetic: ethnicity (white and Asian races); family predisposition; elderly age; fragile physique; low body weight; low peak bone mass; female; long femoral neck length.
• Hormonal: early menopause; late onset of menstruation; long periods of amenorrhea before menopause; infertility; female.
• Lifestyle and nutrition: insufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D; smoking; alcoholism; low physical activity; caffeine abuse; intolerance to dairy products; passive lifestyle; excessive physical activity; excess meat consumption; long-term immobilization.
• Concomitant diseases: menstrual disorders, endocrine diseases, blood diseases, inflammatory rheumatic conditions, gastrointestinal diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, chronic neurological diseases, congestive heart failure, chronic renal failure.
• Long-term use of medications : glucocorticoids, thyroid drugs, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, tetracycline drugs, chemotherapy, etc.

Signs of osteoporosis.

In almost 50% of cases, osteoporosis is asymptomatic and is detected already in the presence of bone fractures. Many patients with osteoporosis have complaints of back pain, which worsens after physical activity, when staying in one position for a long time (standing or sitting). These pains disappear or become dull after resting in a lying position. The severity of a pain symptom can vary not only among different people, but also among the same person at different periods of time. Externally, osteoporosis is manifested by changes in posture, decreased height in old age, deformation of the chest, and impaired gait. Decreased height, curvature of the spine in some older people, and the development of “humpbackedness” are the result of flattening (straight or wedge-shaped) of the vertebrae as a result of rarefaction of bone tissue and loss of the original density of the vertebral bodies. In the presence of osteoporosis, a spinal fracture can occur even in bed with an awkward change in body position from back to side, and a fracture of the femoral neck can occur with a slight bruise or sudden movement.

To diagnose osteoporosis, an x-ray method is used. However, it can detect the disease already at a late stage, when at least 30% of bone mass has been lost. Modern instruments that measure the equivalent of bone tissue - bone mineral density - are x-ray densitometers. They make it possible to detect already from 2 to 5% of bone loss. Moreover, along with indicators of the presence of bone density, the percentage coefficient of compliance of each case with the general gender and age norm is automatically calculated. The procedure is called densitometry. It can be carried out within a few minutes and repeated several times. Today, many medical and preventive institutions have densitometers, as well as health centers, organized in recent years as part of the modernization of healthcare in many cities and regions of the region. In them, examination can be obtained free of charge, at a time convenient for the person.

Principles of treatment of osteoporosis.

Calcium supplements are used to treat osteoporosis. According to statistics, people taking medications are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis. However, you should not take these drugs uncontrollably. The fact is that they are not without contraindications and side effects. In particular, they complicate the absorption of certain medications (for example, iron supplements, antibiotics), and quite often cause heartburn and stool disorders. In addition, there is no guarantee that calcium, which is supposed to strengthen bones, will not be deposited in the kidneys or gall bladder in the form of stones. The second group of drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis are hormones. However, the high cost and use of injections limits the use of hormonal drugs. And they also have side effects.

Many years of experience in the treatment of osteoporosis shows that none of the currently existing drugs can reliably restore the quantity and quality of bone tissue. The main thing in preventing the development of osteoporosis is early diagnosis and development of preventive measures.

The basis for preventing osteoporosis is proper nutrition . By using foods rich in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D in your diet, you can strengthen your bones and make them stronger. It is known that calcium is best absorbed from foods. The best sources of calcium are dairy products, especially yogurt and milk. To build and maintain peak bone mass, two glasses of milk per day is enough. There is a lot of calcium in cheese, especially Dutch and Swiss, in feta cheese and cottage cheese. A good source of calcium are cabbage, especially broccoli and sea cabbage, beans, spinach, buckwheat, peas, dry rose hips, carrots, beets, zucchini, eggplant, fish, especially sardines, salmon with bones and sprats.

To strengthen bones, another important element is needed - phosphorus . When planning a diet, it should be taken into account that phosphorus is usually absorbed at approximately 60% of the total amount consumed in food. Phosphorus salts are found in almost all food products of both plant and animal origin. There is especially a lot of phosphorus in nuts, bread, cereals, meat, brains, liver, fish, eggs, and all legumes.

We should not forget that you must take vitamin D - it is no less necessary for the absorption of calcium than phosphorus. In addition, in older people, aging skin is often unable to synthesize vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and the kidneys are unable to convert it into the active form. Recently, due to fear of getting skin cancer, even young people are starting to avoid sunlight. Women are increasingly using sunscreen creams. As a result of vitamin D deficiency, the situation is further aggravated. Therefore, people who do not spend much time in the sun and prefer indoor spaces simply need to take vitamin D in one form or another. It is found in many foods: cod liver, fatty fish (such as sardines and mackerel), tuna, wild mushrooms, sour cream, butter and egg yolks.

It is important to add the following to the above. Recently, many people have become interested in diets related to weight loss. Weight loss is usually recommended to also reduce stress on the joints. However, a sharp decrease in body weight has a very negative effect on the condition of the human skeleton. After all, during fasting, along with excess soft tissue, bone mass also decreases.

Smoking is a significant risk factor for the development of osteoporosis. The mineral density of bone tissue in smokers is 1.5-2 times lower than in non-smokers. Women who smoke are significantly more at risk of hip fractures than non-smokers.

When bone mass begins to decline, preventive measures should be aimed at maintaining or improving posture and expanding motor activity . There are no special complexes for the prevention of osteoporosis. Any type of aerobic exercise in which the body weight is on the legs is useful - gardening, walking up the stairs (going down is almost as useful as going up), dancing, tennis. Light weight-bearing exercises and swimming are recommended. The minimum duration of such loads is half an hour for 5 days a week, starting with light loads and gradually increasing their intensity and duration. It is important to remember that when you stop doing the exercises, the positive effect is lost very quickly. If osteoporosis has already developed, sudden movements that can lead to fractures should be avoided. Running, jumping, exercises with flexion and rotation of the spine are undesirable. Under no circumstances should you exhaust yourself by doing something too often or for too long. Muscles, and the entire body, must have sufficient time to rest and recover. If during exercise you feel even slight pain or any discomfort, it is better to stop exercising immediately.

If the patient’s profession involves taking a forced posture (working on a computer or typewriter, playing the piano, etc.), then it is recommended to use special corsets (orthoses) that do not limit mobility. Corsets are prescribed for training purposes to prevent stooping. The time of wearing a corset should not exceed 3-4 hours. The absolute indications for prescribing a corset for osteoporosis are back pain and the presence of compression fractures of the vertebral bodies. Wearing corsets is recommended continuously or intermittently, with mandatory release from them during the night's rest.

Massage is useful. At home, self-massage brings great benefits. To carry it out, all you need is cleanly washed hands and desire. Basic rules for self-massage:

- massage should be carried out only in a relaxed, calm state;

— the sensations during the procedure should be pleasant and not accompanied by pain;

— massage movements are best carried out from the periphery to the center (if the legs are massaged, from the foot to the groin, if the arms are massaged, from the hands to the shoulders).

When performing a massage, you need to alternate soft, stroking and rubbing movements with gentle blows, pats and pinches: having rubbed and slightly kneaded any part of the body, you can lightly hit it with the edge of your palm or poke it with your fingers, then rub and knead again and, for example, pinch etc. But you should always finish the massage of each individual area with gentle rubbing movements.

It is known that bone loss begins after 35 years of age. Prevention of osteoporosis, which has no side effects or contraindications, can be started at a young age.

GBUZ "Center for Medical Prevention" of the Ministry of Health of the Krasnodar Territory