Osteoporosis. What is this pathology?

Osteoporosis - what is it? The very concept of "osteoporosis" means nothing but "porous bones". And there is an explanation for this. The fact is that with osteoporosis the structure of the bones becomes more fragile and delicate.

The disease is most common in those people,who reached the age of sixty-seventy. Women suffer from it during menopause. If a person develops osteoporosis, then the probability of fracture of bones due to their fragility increases dramatically.

Causes of pathology

In the human body, age changesprovoke a decrease in bone density. This process is considered natural. However, there are people who have these changes much earlier and are more intense. There are some reasons that provoke osteoporosis. What are these factors? They are divided into two categories. The first of these include such reasons that a person can not change to change. This is a heredity and subtle weak skeleton, female sex and age exceeding 65 years. But there are reasons that to minimize the risk of osteoporosis can be excluded to the maximum. Thus, the development of pathology is facilitated by the use of certain types of medicines. These include anticonvulsants and corticosteroids. Increases the risk of osteoporosis, food, poor in vitamin D and calcium, as well as drinking alcohol, smoking and lifestyle, devoid of active movements.

Symptoms of pathology

There are certain signs that a man has osteoporosis. What are these symptoms? This pain in the back, stoop and a decrease in growth, as well as deformation of the spine.

Sometimes a person is completely unaware of the fact,that he had osteoporosis. Find out the presence of pathology only with a fracture of the arm or leg. Of course, limb injuries can occur at a young age. However, with osteoporosis, the load from which a fracture occurs is much weaker.

Complications possible with pathology

Osteoporosis is often accompanied by frequentfractures, in which the fusion of bones is difficult and for a long period. Complication of the disease is expressed in difficult movements. In this case, the appearance of external physical defects.

Osteoporosis of the joints

Pathology often extends to tissue, andalso cartilage in the region of the knees. In the event that the joint affected osteoporosis, what does it mean? It is a degenerative process that involves the largest (knee) joints. He gradually destroys the cartilage. This reduces the elastic and elastic properties of knee joints. Simultaneously, deformity of bones occurs in the legs, which becomes the cause of the formation of spiky growths.

The main manifestation of osteoporosis in this case -this is a swelling in the knee. It is difficult to bend the leg. The main causes of deformation of the cartilaginous tissue are heredity, age and trauma.

Diagnosis of Osteoporosis

For the detection of pathology at presenttwo methods are used. These include bone densitometry and radiography. The first method is the most optimal. It allows you to track where the bone has the smallest density, that is, it can easily be injured. With the help of densitometry, the effectiveness of medications is monitored and bone loss in the bones is determined. The method is absolutely safe and painless.