Medical Xpress talked about new approaches to early detection of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become brittle and break easily. For a long time, he was hardly noticed, because most people only went to the doctors after a fracture. They were usually treated by orthopaedists, who treated the injury itself, but did not find out why it occurred. Osteoporosis was often the real cause. This was reported on November 20 in the journal Medical Xpress.

Endocrinologist Michael McDermott from the University of Colorado said that the disease is much more common than is commonly thought. It affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Most often, women after menopause, because their bone density decreases faster.

Osteoporosis develops gradually. People start losing bone mass after about 50 years of age. This is influenced by heredity and lifestyle. Lack of calcium and vitamin D, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol abuse, and even a lot of coffee worsen bone health. Some medications, such as steroids, also increase the risk.

Fractures caused by osteoporosis occur from a minimal fall or impact, for example, when falling from a height of one's own height. The spine, pelvis, wrists and hip are most often affected. Such injuries can greatly impair the quality of life: a person loses mobility, experiences pain, it becomes difficult for him to breathe, and recovery takes a long time. After the first fracture, the risk of the next one increases fivefold.

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Previously, doctors could only make a diagnosis after a fracture. Now there is densitometry, a special study that allows you to assess the strength of bones in advance. This helps to find the disease before the first injury occurs. However, not everyone has access to such an examination yet. Therefore, doctors reported on the need for a broad program of early diagnosis and follow-up of patients who have already suffered a fracture from mild exposure.

Such a system should work simply: if a person over the age of 50-65 goes to the doctor with a suspected fracture, he is automatically referred for bone examination, tests and consultation with an osteoporosis specialist. An important part of the job is not only to make a diagnosis, but also to prescribe treatment: bone—strengthening drugs and lifestyle recommendations. This will reduce the risk of new fractures and help those who do not even know that they have osteoporosis in time.

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Experts pointed out the lack of a clear methodology, which does not allow us to draw unambiguous conclusions about people's desire to be healthy.

Earlier, on October 14, Klimenko talked about ways to diagnose arthritis. Thus, a general blood test helps to diagnose the disease, as well as studies on rheumatoid factor, antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide and antibodies to DNA. According to the doctor, there are simple markers that indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. For example, an increased level of C-reactive protein (CRP) may be the first signal of possible arthritis.

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