Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in middle-aged and elderly people. According to relevant data, one osteoporotic fracture occurs every 3 seconds worldwide. According to the survey of International Osteoporosis Foundation, 1/3 of women over 50 years old worldwide will have osteoporotic fractures, and 1/5 of men over 50 years old will have osteoporotic fractures. It is expected that by 2050, nearly 50 million people in China will have fractures due to osteoporosis.
In recent years, the proportion of osteoporosis in younger age groups has also started to gradually increase. Why is this? What are the causes of osteoporosis? How should we prevent and treat it?
A. Why do I have osteoporosis?
1.Multiple factors affect the peak bone mass and the rate of loss
The latest version of the “Prevention and Treatment Manual of Osteoporosis in Chinese Population” believes that there are many causes of osteoporosis, and the peak bone mass obtained before adulthood and the rate of bone loss in adulthood are two important factors in the development of osteoporosis. Among them, decrease in active vitamin D, increase in parathyroid hormone, decrease in calcitonin, decrease in sex hormones, genetic factors, nutritional factors, exercise and weight loss, and smoking and alcohol addiction can affect the peak bone mass and the rate of bone loss.
2. Hormonal changes are the main cause of osteoporosis
Zhang Changqing, vice president of the Orthopedic Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and vice president of the Sixth People’s Hospital of Shanghai, said, “Although there are many causes of osteoporosis, among them, systemic osteoporosis is very closely related to hormonal changes in the human body.” Especially among women suffering from ovarian and uterus-related diseases or removed due to surgery, the response of systemic osteoporosis will be greater due to hormonal changes in the body.
3, lack of exercise in young people
As for why young people also develop osteoporosis, the main reasons are changes in hormone levels, insufficient calcium and vitamin D intake in the diet, lack of physical exercise and genetics, taking drugs that affect bone metabolism, smoking and alcohol abuse.
Second, those years about osteoporosis misconceptions
1, reduced bone density is not necessarily osteoporosis
In fact, the diagnosis of osteoporosis has a comprehensive set of indicators, bone density is only one of the reference values. There is no need to see some low bone density, you think you are already osteoporosis; but also a combination of many factors to observe. Because the human bone density with age changes, itself will have some fluctuations, so for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, from the doctor’s level, to integrate a variety of factors; for patients, it is necessary to give a reasonable explanation, in order to relieve their worries.
2.Soda drinks have nothing to do with osteoporosis
In general, the soda drinks that we usually drink are not too big in terms of intake. As for whether cola-flavored soda can cause a decrease in bone density throughout the body and thus cause osteoporosis, there is no evidence to prove this. However, it should be noted that everything in excess will not bring good results, as long as it is controlled within the appropriate range, there is generally no negative impact.
Third, osteoporosis to prevent the main
1, young attention to calcium supplementation
Osteoporosis is the process of bone loss in the bones, the bones in the bones should be accumulated while young. “The human bone mass is in the process of slowly increasing before 25-30.
After the age of 30, bone mass starts to decline. If the more bone mass is stored in the early stage, the more room for decline later. Therefore, you must try to raise the height of the peak bone before the age of 30. And drinking milk is one of the better methods of calcium supplementation”
2, women pay attention to supplement estrogen
Women after menopause or after the removal of the uterus or ovaries, the endocrine changes are very serious, and calcium supplementation through drugs is a very important way. Therefore, when women enter menopause, they should pay extra attention to the maintenance of bone health and make early preparations to prevent osteoporosis in old age. Estrogen replacement therapy can be used under the guidance of a doctor, which can not only improve the symptoms of menopause, but also effectively delay and reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis.
3, the elderly pay attention to the supplementation of active vitamin D
As they grow older, calcium supplementation alone is no longer helpful for the elderly. The level of 1α hydroxylase in the kidneys of the elderly decreases, and the number of vitamin D receptors (VDR) decreases, making the level of D hormone in the body in a state of relative deficiency, so that more calcium can not be better absorbed. Therefore, what we need to do at this time is to supplement active vitamin D or its analogues to correct the insufficient vitamin D level in the body, in order to better promote calcium absorption and prevent osteoporosis.