Over the years, changes in bone tissue, including the spine, of an irreversible nature begin to occur in the human body. The density of bones decreases, they become more brittle and fragile. This condition is called senile osteoporosis. This disease occurs in older people. In women, the manifestations of the pathological condition can be observed a little earlier - during menopause. What is senile osteoporosis and what treatment is used for this, we will analyze in the article.
Disease definition
Senile osteoporosis (according to ICD-10 code M81) is a disease of human bones of a systemic nature, in which their density decreases. This condition increases the likelihood of fractures.
Bone strength depends on the amount ofcalcium, vitamin D and various minerals. Also a big role in this is played by the normal functioning of the endocrine glands. But with age, calcium begins to gradually wash out, metabolism slows down, which leads to senile osteoporosis (ICD-10 code M81).
Causes of occurrence
The main causes of senile osteoporosis are the lack of minerals and vitamins in the human body, as well as an increase in the period of bone tissue recovery. The following factors can provoke these conditions:
- An age-related violation of the absorption of vitamin D, the lack of which leads to calcium deficiency in the body.
- Hormonal disorders in which the production of hormones involved in preventing bone loss is reduced.
- Increased activity of osteoclasts, leading to bone breakdown.
- Insufficient production of calcitonin, which prevents the destruction and fragility of bones.
- Increase in the production of parathyroid hormone, resulting in poor absorption of calcium.
- Deceleration of bone tissue regeneration.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Having a chronic disease.
- Pathologies of the hematopoietic system.
- Kidney failure.
- Living in environmentally unfriendly areas.
- Wrong diet.
- Unhe althy lifestyle.
- Hereditary predisposition.
Secondary senile osteoporosis may cause long-term usesome categories of drugs. These include:
- Medicines containing lithium.
- Anticoagulants.
- Some antibiotics.
- Drugs to fight cancer.
- Some hormonal drugs.
Symptomatics
Senile osteoporosis (ICD-10 code M81) is dangerous in that it has practically no pronounced symptoms in the early stages, since calcium is washed out of the body gradually. Patients, as a rule, go to the doctor in cases where signs of the disease are already noticeable or bone fractures occur without the influence of significant loads. Consider the most pronounced signs of a pathological condition:
- Deformation of the thoracic spine.
- Reducing the height of an elderly person to 10–15 cm.
- The appearance of a stoop.
- Increase the tone of the back muscles.
- Back pain that increases with walking or even minor exertion.
- Change in gait.
- The appearance of early gray hair.
- Frequent bone fractures.
- Brittle nails, hair loss.
- It becomes difficult for the patient to lie down or sit for a long time.
Diagnosis
When contacting a doctor, the patient is sent for an examination, in which the main diagnostic measure is radiography. In this procedure, the specialist takes x-rays of the pelvis in frontal projection and lateral x-raysspine. This will reveal the following:
- Compression fractures.
- Reducing the length of the spine.
- Wedge-shaped destruction.
- Sagging of the vertebrae.
After the injection of a special contrast medium, it is possible to detect old fractures.
A densinometry procedure is also used, which determines bone density and measures the content of minerals, hormones and enzymes necessary for its metabolism.
In addition to the above diagnostic methods, an MRI or CT procedure and other tests to exclude concomitant diseases (for example, blood, urine, ECG, and others) can be used.
In order to timely identify the development of the pathological process, after reaching the age of 50, you need to systematically visit a doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.
Treatment
Pathological processes in bone tissue proceed slowly, but irreversibly. Therefore, senile osteoporosis in men and women is easier to prevent than to treat. But if the disease progresses, complex treatment will be required to reduce bone loss and prevent fractures. Consider the main directions of therapy for this disease.
Drug therapy. Medicines should be prescribed only by the attending physician, taking into account contraindications and side effects. In most cases, the following categories of drugs are prescribed:
- Containing substances that are involved in metabolic processes,occurring in the bones. These drugs include Osteokhin, Osteogenon and medicines containing calcium and vitamin D3.
- Reducing bone resorption. These include estrogens (Raloxifene), biophosphonates (Osteomax) and calcitonin (Ostever).
- Drugs that stimulate the formation of bone tissue. These include medicines that contain parathyroid hormone (Teriparamid) or fluoride s alts.
The following categories of drugs are used as symptomatic treatment:
- Painkillers given for back pain or fractures.
- Anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs - "Ibuprofen".
- Drugs to relieve muscle clamps and release nerves pinched in the spine.
- Anabolics - "Silabolin".
Diet therapy. Compliance with the diet, according to patients and doctors, with senile osteoporosis plays an important role not only for its treatment, but also for prevention. Experts recommend eating more foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. These include:
- Cottage cheese.
- Eggs.
- Dried fruits.
- Buckwheat.
- Kefir.
- Beans.
- Greens and others.
It is recommended to exclude or limit the use of the following products:
- Fatty meat.
- Cocoa.
- Coffee.
- Sugar.
- Confectionery fats.
- Alcoholic drinks.
- High-fat sauces and others.
Performance of gentle exercises, including therapeutic walking. Sunbathing is also important.
In senile osteoporosis, symptoms and treatment are largely interrelated, since therapeutic measures are aimed at relieving symptomatic manifestations and preventing further progression of the disease.
Folk treatments
Folk remedies have proven themselves as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of senile osteoporosis. According to doctors, they are aimed at enriching the body with calcium and restoring hormonal balance. But it should be remembered that the use of folk recipes should begin only after consulting with your doctor.
Let's consider the most common (according to patient reviews) traditional medicine recipes.
- Dissolve a piece of mummy the size of a match head in a small amount of water and consume 20 minutes before meals 2 times a day. The course of treatment is 20 days.
- Dandelion tea. 1 st. l. dried plant pour 1 cup boiling water and insist for half an hour. Consume throughout the day.
- Green smoothies containing 60% fruits and 40% greens. Grind in a blender. Proportions are allowed to change slightly.
Complications
Senile osteoporosis can lead to serious consequences that can be life-threatening. Consider the most common of them:
- Curvature of the spine. As a result, even slight loads can lead to compression fractures, which affects the normal functioning of the patient's internal organs.
- Fracture of the femoral neck. In this case, the patient is not able to recover, especially in old age, becomes disabled and is not able to serve himself. In some cases, such a fracture is fatal.
- Dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath may also occur.
Prevention measures
To prevent the development of the disease, especially if there is a hereditary factor, it is necessary to take care of the condition of your bones from a young age. To do this, you must follow a number of recommendations, which we consider below:
- Proper nutrition rich in calcium.
- Full rest and sleep.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Maintaining a he althy weight.
- Timely treatment of diseases.
- Normalization of physical activity.
- For women, regular visits to the gynecologist are very important, especially on the eve of menopause.
Forecast
With the timely diagnosis of the disease and the implementation of all the recommendations of the attending physician, the prognosis is more positive, the risk of complications in this case is minimal.
For the elderly, the development of senile osteoporosis is inevitable. But by performing systematic examinations and preventive measures, you can significantly reduce the negative consequences andcomplications to rule out disability. In reviews and comments, patients do not recommend self-medication, since only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis based on the results of the examination.
