Osteoporosis, have you noticed?

Bones are the largest calcium storage in our body, but this calcium storage reaches its peak at the age of 30 and starts to decline after the age of 30. In other words, after the age of 30, the new bone tissue is less than the decomposed bone tissue. Therefore, the more calcium you store before the age of 30, the slower the bone loss. Therefore, calcium supplementation is not something for the elderly.

Osteoporosis is known as a silent disease. Prevention is better than cure. In 2016, the prevalence of osteoporosis among people aged 60 and over in my country reached 36%, with the incidence rate among men being 23% and women as high as 49%.

Is osteoporosis serious?

Studies have shown that 20% of the elderly die within one year after a femoral fracture, which is called the last fracture in life. The male mortality rate is twice that of females, and 50% of the elderly lose the ability to live independently after a fracture.

Who are the high-risk groups for osteoporosis?

(1) Women who have menopause before the age of 45 or have undergone bilateral oophorectomy;

(2) Postmenopausal women aged 50 years with unexplained chronic low back pain; (3) Men aged 65 years or older;

(4) People with low sex hormone levels;

(5) Those with a family history of brittle bones;

(6) The presence of high-risk factors for osteoporosis, such as advanced age, immobilization, smoking, and long-term bed rest;

(7) Chronic lung disease;

(8) Chronic kidney disease;

(9) Endocrine diseases and rheumatic and immune diseases.

Who should be highly suspected of having osteoporosis?

1. Chronic back pain of unknown cause, often occurs when turning over, sitting up, or walking for a long time;

2. Short stature or spinal deformity or hunchback;

3. Height decreases by 3 cm or 2 cm within 1 year;

4. Fractures of unknown cause.

How to confirm the diagnosis?

If you are a high-risk group or highly suspected of osteoporosis, you can monitor bone density. The most common method is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The best measurement sites are the lumbar spine and proximal femur. If T≦-2.5, osteoporosis is considered.

How to treat it?

1. General treatment: eat more milk, vegetables, beans, eggs, and oats; quit smoking, drinking, and carbonated drinks;

2. There should be sufficient sunlight. It is recommended to choose the sunbathing time between 10:00-14:00, 10-15 minutes each time, 2-3 times a week;

3. Exercise regularly, 3-5 times a week, 30-50 minutes each time;

4. Basic treatment: Calcium and vitamin D are basic drugs for daily prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium for adults is 800 mg per day, 1000-1200 mg for those over 50 years old, and vitamin D for adults is 800 IU-1200 IU;

5. Anti-osteoporosis drug treatment: including anti-bone resorption drugs and bone synthesis promoting drugs and others. The former includes bisphosphonates (including alendronate sodium, risedronate sodium, etc.), denosumab, selective estrogen receptor modulators (raloxifene), calcitonin, etc.; the latter is commonly seen in parathyroid hormone analogs (teriparatide). Other dual drugs that include bone resorption and bone formation promotion include strontium ranelate and ipriflavone.

How long should the medication be used?

Bisphosphonate therapy can be continued for 3-5 years, denosumab can be used long-term, calcitonin should not be used for more than 3 months, and parathyroid hormone analogs (teriparatide) should not exceed 24 months.

How does Traditional Chinese Medicine treat it?

You can dialectically choose nationally recommended medicines such as Xianling Gubao Capsules, Gushukang Capsules, Jintiange Capsules, etc.

The key to osteoporosis is prevention. I hope everyone has a good body. Have you learned it?