Roughly 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation predicts the disorder will be responsible for three million fractures every year.
Dr. Nilma Malik, an endocrinologist at Lawton Community Health Center, said people don’t know enough about the condition. The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation said it’s a disease that happens when the body loses too much bone or does not have enough bone. Those who have osteoporosis can easily break a bone from a fall or by just coughing or sneezing.
“It is prevalent,” Dr. Malik said. “It is known as a silent disease. Most of the time, you do not experience any symptoms unless you do experience complications of osteoporosis like a fracture.”
Osteoporosis typically affects postmenopausal women, but Dr. Malik said it can impact people of all ages.
“It is associated with other medical conditions that can affect younger populations, such as certain autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid, and parathyroid disorders, some of the inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease can also cause osteoporosis,” Malik said.
She said there are things that can be done to prevent osteoporosis.
“Firstly, we want to ensure that we have an adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D intake,” Malik said. “We typically advise our patients to have a daily calcium of 1,200 ml and a daily of 20 micrograms or 800 international units.”
Weight-bearing exercises can also help strengthen muscles and joints.
“At the same time, we do recommend our patients undergo screening tests that the U.S. task force recommends that post-menopausal women undergo DEXA scan around the age of 65,” she said.
Dr. Malik wants people with the condition to know there are ways it can be treated with medicine, injections, and infusions that can help strengthen bones and help them achieve a better quality of life.
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