How to prevent osteoporosis

  Osteoporosis has now become a common disease affecting the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly people, and is listed as one of the top three geriatric diseases in the world along with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. It is a progressive systemic skeletal disease characterized by decreased bone mass and destruction of bone tissue microstructure, leading to increased bone fragility and decreased bone strength, and a bone metabolic disease prone to fracture. Osteoporosis is also known as the “silent killer” because the development of osteoporosis is long-term and insidious. Statistics show that China has the largest number of osteoporosis patients in the world, with about 90 million patients, accounting for 7% of the total population. The most serious danger of osteoporosis is fracture, with a prevalence of 27.5-32.6%, many patients are disabled, 50% of patients need round-the-clock care, 15-20% of patients will die due to various complications, and those who survive will also have difficulty in moving around due to disability, and their quality of life will be reduced, which brings heavy burden to families and society. Since osteoporosis does not have obvious symptoms in the early stage, it is easy to be overlooked and is often taken seriously only after the pain has increased or a fracture has occurred, so early prevention is the best way to slow down osteoporosis.  1.Primary prevention In the process of bone formation, prepubertal and puberty are the peak periods of bone density formation. If the awareness of prevention is established early in this period so that the peak bone density reaches the highest, the age of osteoporosis can be delayed and the risk of fracture can be reduced.  2.Secondary prevention Evaluate people at high risk of osteoporosis as a key protection target and provide effective treatment as early as possible to prevent continued rapid loss of bone mass; strengthen monitoring and health guidance, and take targeted suggestions and measures to avoid fractures.  3. Tertiary prevention Patients who have already suffered fractures are promoted to recover and prevent complications and disability due to fractures through various treatment means and care measures. Osteoporosis specialists can establish personal health records for patients and develop personalized interventions, including psychological, dietary and exercise interventions, to help correct poor lifestyles and habits; regular follow-up visits are conducted to evaluate the effects, improve patients’ quality of life and avoid the reoccurrence of fractures.  With the progress of aging of the society’s population increasing, osteoporosis has become a serious social public health problem, and prevention is the best treatment. Let’s start with a balanced diet, maintain a healthy lifestyle and reasonable physical activity, maintain a good quality of bones and enjoy a happy life.