Do you know what osteoporosis is?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that weakens our bones, making them thinner and easier to break.

It can cause bone fracture which leads to pain, poor posture, and significant impact to one’s quality of life.

How do I know if I have osteoporosis?

Most people don’t know they are at risk. Most people are diagnosed only after they have had a fall which is too late. Hence it is important to do check-up and screening for those at risk

Am I at risk?

If you are in any one of the below categories, seek opinion from your doctors to get a screening done and to assess your risk.

What are some of the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis?

There typically are no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might experience symptoms that include pain, loss of height over time as well as a stooped posture. Ultimately, osteoporosis causes a bone to break much more easily than expected.

How do you diagnose it?

In a hospital setting, usually the doctor will order a bone mineral density test called Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan. It is a painless procedure using X-Rays to measure bone density, usually at the hip and spine.

It is also possible to have screening done in an outpatient setting using a small, portable machine that can measure bone density in the bones, at the far ends of your skeleton, usually at the heels. The instruments used for these tests are called peripheral devices. These tests are to identify your T-Score which is used together with other parameters to calculate your risk of having osteoporosis.

If I am diagnosed with osteoporosis, what are the treatments?

When your T-Score is less than -2.5, your doctor will suggest to undergo treatment. Generally, treatments are based on estimation of your risk of breaking a bone in the next 10 years by using information from bone density tests. Medical treatment includes medication such as bisphosphonate (eg. alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, zoledronic acid), monoclonal antibody medications (eg. denosumab) as well as hormonal therapy (eg. Estrogen). Non medical measures should also be practised such as:

• Stop cigarette smoking – smoking increases the rate of bone loss and the chance of fracture
• Avoid alcohol – consuming alcohol will decrease bone formation; also if you are under influence of alcohol, it can increase the chance of you falling and fracture a bone, ouch!
• Practice regular exercise – exercise helps to strengthen your muscle strength, improve your balance/posture and reduce the risk of you falling.
• Take calcium and activated Vitamin D rich diet or supplement such as for eg. fresh fruits (orange, dates, olives), vegetable (kale, collards, spinach, broccoli), beans and legumes, eggs, nuts, fish, fortified dairy/ juices/cereal/oatmeal etc.
• Proper shoe wear  – to avoid slip and fall