With the aging of the population, osteoporosis has become a worldwide health problem that is attracting more and more attention.
According to the “White Paper on Osteoporosis in China” released by the International Osteoporosis Foundation, as of 2009, at least 69.44 million people in China suffer from osteoporosis, and another 210 million people have below normal bone mass and are at risk of osteoporosis.
The total prevalence of osteoporosis among people over 50 years old in China is 15.7 percent.
And this proportion will gradually increase. Osteoporosis is prone to fracture, which brings serious impact on people’s health and life, so proper understanding, early diagnosis and early prevention are especially important. However, there are many misunderstandings about osteoporosis in our daily life.
1.Only calcium deficiency is osteoporosis
There are many reasons or causes of osteoporosis, such as: ① low weight; ② low sex hormones; ③ smoking; ④ excessive alcohol consumption; ⑤ excessive coffee, carbonated beverages; ⑥ lack of physical activity; ⑦ lack of calcium and vitamin D in the diet (less light or intake); ⑧ suffering from diseases affecting bone metabolism, such as thyroid, parathyroid disease, diabetes, etc.; ⑨ application of drugs affecting bone metabolism, such as hormones, immunosuppressants etc.; ⑩ elderly population: women ≥ 50 years old, men ≥ 60 years old when.
2, only the elderly will have
In fact, osteoporosis is divided into two major categories: primary and secondary. Primary osteoporosis is further divided into postmenopausal osteoporosis (type I), senile osteoporosis (type II) and idiopathic osteoporosis (including adolescent type) three. Postmenopausal osteoporosis generally occurs within 5 to 10 years after menopause; senile osteoporosis generally refers to osteoporosis that occurs after the age of 70; and idiopathic osteoporosis mainly occurs in adolescents, the cause of which is still unknown.
3.No fracture if you don’t fall
Bones with osteoporosis are very fragile, and some slight movements are often not perceived (i.e. no obvious history of trauma), but can cause fractures: coughing, sneezing, lifting heavy objects or holding children with force, or even breathing with force, etc. Common fracture sites: vertebrae, ribs, radius, upper end of femur, these minor fractures can bring serious consequences to the patient, so attention should be paid to examination for early and clear diagnosis and timely treatment.
4.Confirmed patients do not need to do bone densitometry
Bone densitometry can not only be used to diagnose osteoporosis, but also be used to follow up the changes of osteoporosis and evaluate the effect of osteoporosis medication. Therefore, patients who have clearly suffered from osteoporosis are recommended to have regular bone densitometry to understand the changes of osteoporosis and evaluate the effect of osteoporosis medication. Generally speaking, bone density can be checked once a year.
5.Normal blood calcium is fine
Normal blood calcium is not the same as normal calcium in the bones. The calcium content in the blood is regulated by a variety of hormones to maintain it within a narrow normal range, these hormones are: parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, active vitamin D. When calcium intake is insufficient or lost and the body is deficient in calcium, the calcium in the bones, a huge calcium reserve, will be released into the blood to maintain the blood calcium within the normal range, when the loss of calcium in the bone occurs; when the dietary calcium intake increases If the above balance is broken, osteoporosis can be triggered.
6, osteoporosis can not exercise
Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, moderate exercise is very important. Some older people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis have heard that the disease is prone to fractures, and therefore do not dare to move more, one-sidedly think that only at home to recuperate or lying down, sitting. In fact, exercise can improve the blood circulation of bones, enhance bone density and slow down the process of osteoporosis. Especially in sunlight activities, can also enhance the synthesis and absorption of vitamin D, help the use of calcium in the body.
7, osteoporosis without treatment
With the increase of human life expectancy, the aging population is increasing, the incidence of some age-related diseases is also increasing year by year, the elderly need to pay attention to the four major diseases: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and osteoporosis, the occurrence of these diseases are related to ageing, can also be said to be related to natural aging, but not without treatment or no way to treat. In fact, the above-mentioned diseases can be prevented and treated, among which osteoporosis can be treated through lifestyle intervention, calcium supplementation and, if necessary, medication to reduce pain and prevent fractures, thus improving the quality of life of the elderly and extending their life expectancy.
8.Drinking bone soup can replenish calcium
Many people think that drinking bone soup can replenish calcium, in fact, this is not scientific. Bone soup is indeed rich in protein, fat and other nutrients. But the test proves that the calcium content of bone broth is very little, a scientist did this experiment: 5 kg of pork bones plus 5 kg of water, simmered in a pressure cooker for 10 hours, the result of a bowl of bone broth in the calcium content of only 10 mg. And the same
A bowl of milk contains 200 mg of calcium, which is much higher than a bowl of bone broth. The elderly should be aware that drinking more bone broth may cause an increase in blood lipids and blood uric acid.
9, with osteoporosis, it is not possible to have osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is often combined with osteophytes (also known as “bone spurs”), and osteophytes are often secondary to the compensatory process of the body after osteoporosis caused by ectopic deposition of calcium, when calcium is often deposited on the surface of the bone and joint and the formation of “bone spurs”, treatment of osteoporosis The treatment of osteoporosis can correct the state of calcium deficiency in the body, thus partially correcting this abnormal process and reducing the formation of “bone spurs”, or even reducing the formed “bone spurs”, so patients with osteopenia combined with osteoporosis still need anti-osteoporosis treatment.
10, “kidney stones” = no calcium deficiency
There are many causes of kidney stones, such as urinary tract abnormalities, urinary tract obstruction, excessive alkalinization of urine or excessive oxalic acid in urine, or even excessive urinary calcium excretion due to excessive calcium loss from the bones, which can cause kidney stones. Of course too much calcium supplementation or application of active vitamin D can also lead to kidney stones, so in osteoporosis treatment, calcium supplementation should be appropriate, timely monitoring of blood calcium, urine calcium, urine sodium and urine pH, and timely adjustment of calcium and vitamin D supplementation doses.