World Osteoporosis Day takes place every year on October 20th. It kicks off a year-long effort to spread awareness about strong bones and how to prevent, diagnose, and treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases. The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) organizes this event. The campaign includes community events and local activities put together by national osteoporosis patient groups. These activities happen in more than 90 countries worldwide.
The 2024 World Osteoporosis Day Campaign, themed “Say no to fragile bones,” aims to break the silence around bone health. It encourages everyone, regardless of age, to appreciate and take care of their bones. The campaign will communicate important messages to people of all ages, patients, healthcare workers, and health authorities to raise awareness and promote bone health.
What Does World Osteoporosis Day Focus On?
There are a few key messages that World Osteoporosis Day aims to promote.Â
Our bone health is precious. Strong bones are essential for our health, movement, and independence. Everyone, no matter their age, should work on keeping their bones healthy. To prevent osteoporosis, it’s important to eat foods that support bone health, engage in regular weight-bearing exercises, and avoid harmful habits like smoking. This might seem like an older person’s disease, but what you do now really matters!
Osteoporosis matters. Osteoporosis is a major health concern that can have serious effects. To protect ourselves, it’s important to know our personal risk factors and make bone health a priority, just like we do with heart health. If you have risk factors, ask for osteoporosis screening or testing. Following any prescribed medications is also crucial. By using these strategies, we can close the gap in osteoporosis care and help maintain our ability to move and stay independent as we get older.
Make bone health a healthcare policy priority. Every year, around 37 million people worldwide suffer from fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis, creating a huge challenge for individuals and healthcare systems. It’s important for health authorities to focus on bone health by supporting services that care for people after fractures. These services help ensure that anyone over 50 who goes to the hospital with a broken bone gets the right assessment and treatment for osteoporosis, reducing the risk of further and potentially dangerous fractures.
Understanding Osteoporosis and Its Risk Factors
There are several factors that can raise the chance of getting osteoporosis. As people age, their bone density naturally decreases. Women, especially after menopause, are more prone to osteoporosis because of lower estrogen levels. If someone in your family has had osteoporosis or fractures, your risk might be higher too. People with smaller or thinner body frames are at greater risk since they have less bone mass to start with. Lifestyle choices also play a part; not getting enough exercise, drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, smoking, and poor nutrition can all lead to weaker bones.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is known as a “silent disease” because it develops quietly without clear symptoms until a bone breaks. Still, there are some signs to watch for, like back pain from a broken or collapsed vertebra, getting shorter over time, a hunched-over posture, and bones that break more easily than you’d think.
Diagnosis of Osteoporosis
To diagnose osteoporosis, doctors usually perform a bone density test known as a DEXA scan, which stands for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. This test checks how dense your bones are and helps determine the risk of fractures.
Prevention and Management of Osteoporosis
Maintaining strong bones involves several key factors. First, it’s important to have a diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin D, which can be found in dairy products, greens, and foods fortified with both nutrients. Vitamin D, which aids in calcium absorption, can also come from sunlight and certain foods or supplements.Â
Regular exercise is essential for strong bones, especially weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening activities like walking, jogging, dancing, and weight lifting, as they help preserve bone density. Lifestyle choices matter too; avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol intake is crucial since smoking speeds up bone loss, and too much alcohol can disrupt the body’s calcium balance.Â
In some cases, doctors might recommend medications or hormone therapy to maintain strong bones and slow bone loss. Some of these medications include:
- Prolia, primarily used to treat the development of osteoporosis in menopause.
- Evista, mainly used for postmenopausal women.
- Evenity, which helps with bone formation and slows bone breakdown.
Finally, preventing falls is important for bone health, so make sure your living space is safe by using assistive devices if needed, improving lighting, and removing trip hazards.
Does osteoporosis go into remission?Â
When someone’s bones lose density, treatment can’t completely restore them, but it can help keep them healthy in the future and prevent fractures. This is important because fractures might not heal well in people with osteoporosis.
What are the side effects of bisphosphonate pills?
The primary side effects of taking bisphosphonate pills include stomach upset and heartburn. To prevent the medicine from returning to the esophagus, avoid lying down or bending over for 30 to 60 minutes after taking it. Most people who follow these guidelines do not experience these side effects.
How do osteoporosis medicines work to build strong bones?
As we go through life, our bones constantly break down and build back up. This process changes as we get older, especially after menopause, when bones start to break down faster than they can rebuild. This causes bones to weaken over time. Most medicines for osteoporosis help by slowing down how quickly bones break down, while others help speed up the bone-building process. Both methods aim to build strong bones and lower the risk of fractures.
Living with Osteoporosis
People with osteoporosis need to manage their condition through medical care and lifestyle changes. It’s important to have regular visits with a doctor to keep track of bone health and update treatments when necessary. Joining support groups and attending educational programs can offer helpful information and emotional support.
In terms of the mental health effects of osteoporosis, they are numerous. Mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD are linked to osteoporosis. This means that having these mental health issues can be related to osteoporosis, and osteoporosis itself can be linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
There is still much we don’t know about the connection between mental health and osteoporosis, but we do know that stress hormones play a role. Mental health issues and osteoporosis often occur together because they share pathways related to stress hormones and the immune system. Increased stress hormones and inflammation from mental health problems can affect bone health.
Additionally, bone fractures from osteoporosis can harm physical, social, and financial well-being, and they may also lead to anxiety or depression. Increased fears about moving and falling might reduce physical activity and lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Are there foods to build strong bones and avoid osteoporosis?
To maintain strong bones, there are important lifestyle choices to consider. Quitting smoking is crucial because smoking increases the risk of osteoporosis. Limiting alcohol is also key; it’s even better to give it up entirely, as research shows no safe alcohol level. If you do drink, keep it to no more than 14 units a week and avoid binge drinking. Sun exposure is vital too, as it helps your body produce vitamin D, which is necessary for absorbing calcium for strong bones and teeth. During fall and winter, when sunlight is weaker, you may need to rely on food or supplements for vitamin D.