Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease that may be caused by a variety of reasons, including decreased bone density and bone quality, destruction of bone microstructure, resulting in increased bone fragility, and thus susceptibility to fracture. However, in daily life, it is often not until osteoporosis shows obvious symptoms that people are alerted to it and thus suffer greatly. Now we will introduce the self-assessment method of osteoporosis.
One-minute risk factor assessment
1. Have your parents ever had a hip fracture after a minor collision or fall?
2. Have you ever injured your bones due to a minor collision or fall?
3. Have you taken hormonal drugs such as “cortisone and prednisone” for more than 3 consecutive months?
4. Have you lost 3 cm (or more than 1 inch) of height?
5. Do you often drink too much alcohol (100g of white wine)?
6. Do you smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day?
7. Do you often suffer from dysentery and diarrhea caused by celiac disease or enteritis?
8.Answer: Did you go through menopause before the age of 45?
9. Have you ever had no menstruation for more than 12 consecutive months (except during pregnancy)?
Men: Do you suffer from impotence or lack of sexual desire?
If you answer “yes” to the above question, you should go to the hospital to check your bone density. Osteoporosis is best treated before symptoms or signs appear, so it is important to know your risk of developing the disease.
Please come and talk to us as soon as possible if you have the following conditions
1. Malnutrition fractures
Many people have had fractures, but they are usually injured because of a sudden, large external force, such as a fall from a height, a car accident, or a sports injury. However, if a fracture occurs when a very small external force is applied, or even during normal life, you should immediately consider whether you have osteoporosis.
2.Unexplained bone and joint pain
Osteoporosis is one of the many causes of bone and joint pain. Injury occurs when bone density decreases and is unable to support the full weight of the body. Unexplained bone and joint pain suggests that something may be wrong with the health of the bones.
3. Shorter height or hunchback
Compression fractures of the spine can be overlooked and many times are thought to be simply a strained muscle in the back. When the spine is compressed due to decreased weight-bearing capacity of osteoporosis, the body may lose its normal height or the spine may become curved, and the typical appearance of such a patient is a short stature or a hunchback.