Good condition of the musculoskeletal system is considered the key to the he alth of the whole organism. One of the dangerous bone pathologies is a disease such as osteoporosis. What is it and how to deal with it? Our article will tell about it. It also describes the degree of the disease, prevention and treatment methods.
Osteoporosis - causes and symptoms
Bone disease, in which there is increased fragility of the bones, is called osteoporosis. In such patients, even minor injuries can cause bone fractures. Most of all, women suffer from this disease, since osteoporosis develops rapidly when the hormonal balance is disturbed during menopause. This is not only a lack of calcium in the body, but also the improper functioning of building bone cells. Women during menopause should be careful about taking various hormonal drugs. All of them should be prescribed by a doctor after a preliminary examination, since many synthetic corticosteroids adversely affect bone composition and lead to the development of osteoporosis.
In addition, this disease develops with digestive problems, with prolonged smoking, alcohol intake, metabolic disorders and related heredity. Also, one of the reasons is a sedentary lifestyle, lack of vitamin D and age-related changes in bone tissue. Many people live with the symptoms of the disease for many years and do not even suspect that they have such an ailment as osteoporosis. What it is? And how to determine its development? The first signal of the progression of the disease will be frequent bone fractures. But the correct diagnosis of the patient can only be made after X-ray examinations and special tests, such as, for example, densitometry.
Degrees of osteoporosis
It is very important to identify the disease in its early stages in order to prevent its further development. There are three degrees of osteoporosis. What is it, we will tell you in more detail here. Most often, the disease affects one part of the musculoskeletal system. So, at the first degree, the x-ray shows the beginning of the destruction of bone tissue, the depletion of the bone crossbars. The second degree is characterized by severe osteoporosis, which is accompanied by constant aching pain, radiating to the spinal column and the region of the lower extremities. At this degree, the bone crossbars are significantly depleted, lubrication is lost, and large areas with a lack of bone tissue are found. The third stage is the most severe, accompanied by constant sharp pains. ATIn this case, almost all bones of the skeleton are affected by osteoporosis - huge cavities are formed in them and there is a complete absence of bone crossbars.
Prevention and treatment
Osteoporosis is a very dangerous disease. What it is, everyone needs to know, especially the female half of humanity, since proper prevention and he alth monitoring will help to avoid major he alth problems in old age. Be sure to people of any age should lead an active lifestyle, follow a proper and balanced diet, use additional vitamins. In the fight against osteoporosis, drug treatment is used: these are various drugs that inhibit the destruction of bone tissue and stimulate its formation.
