Osteoporosis: how to detect this silent disease
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- All women at 65 and men at 70 should have a bone density test, even more so if they have clinical risk factors, low body weight, smoke, have a family history or have had a previous fracture.
Santo Domingo.- Osteoporosis, known as “the silent thief”, is a progressive condition that affects bone quality through an imbalance between the formation and repair of cells; combined with deficiencies in nutrients and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and vitamin D3, and declining hormones, it can lead to a higher risk of fractures.
Women are more likely to develop the disease because, from menopause onwards, the ovaries produce less oestrogen, the depletion of accumulated bone reserves increases and bone renewal decreases; however, men are not exempt from osteoporosis.
Dr. Aldo Riesgo, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Orthopaedics and Rheumatology Center, says: “It’s really important for both men and women to be screened for osteoporosis before it turns into a fracture. In most cases, we can prevent the fracture with treatment if we know the patient has osteoporosis or osteopenia, which is when bone density is lower than normal but not yet at the level of osteoporosis.”
However, many people wonder when the right time is to have a bone density test. Dr. Riesgo answers: “All women at 65 and men at 70 should have a bone density test, even more so if they have clinical risk factors, low body weight, smoke, have a family history or have had a previous fracture.”
The test to detect this degenerative disease takes around 5 to 10 minutes. The patient lies on a table and a beam sends X-rays through the skeleton, hip and spine. The amount of X-ray passing through the bone is detected on the other side and should be proportional to the amount of calcium in the bone. It is also a very low-radiation procedure.
“Exercise, targeted physiotherapy and tai chi can help strengthen core and lower body muscles to stabilise an older person”, concluded Dr. Riesgo. It is also recommended to remove trip hazards from the home, such as loose rugs and electrical cables.