Understanding Your Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

Getting older means a lot of changes to your body, including some of the vital parts like your bones. It's not uncommon for older adults to suffer a broken bone from a simple fall or a minor injury.

Osteoporosis is one of the primary conditions that affect the bones in both women and men as they age. It involves the integrity of the bones, making them prone to fractures from simple bumps or falls.

You must know if you're at risk for osteoporosis so you can start making changes to protect your bones. Dr. Frank Marinkovich, MD, and the team at Eastside Family Health Center, Kirkland, WA offer several therapies to help you fight off osteoporosis.

Dr. Marinkovich is a primary care specialist offering various tips and help for many chronic conditions, including osteoporosis.

Understanding Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the integrity of your bones, especially as you get older. To understand osteoporosis, you have to know how your bones work.

Each of your bones consists of growing, living tissues constantly changing in a process called remodeling. Old bone breaks down during remodeling, and new bone takes its place.

When you're young, your bone often replaces itself faster than it breaks down, allowing your bones to stay strong and healthy. But as you get older, the process slows down, meaning the bone breaks down faster than it rebuilds.

Osteoporosis happens when the bone breaks down faster than it rebuilds, causing large holes in the bone. These holes resemble a honeycomb and cause the bones to become brittle and easily broken.

The scary aspect of osteoporosis is that you usually don't have any symptoms until you break a bone, and our team finds it on an X-ray.

Risk Factors for Osteoporosis You Can't Change

There are both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for osteoporosis. Non-modifiable risk factors are those you can't change on your own. These risk factors include the following:

• Age: Osteoporosis is more prevalent in older age. You're more likely to have osteoporosis if you're over the age of 65, although it can happen earlier.
• Gender: Although osteoporosis can affect both men and women, females are more likely to get osteoporosis due to the hormonal changes in menopause.
• Medications: Certain steroid medications, diabetes medications, and mental health treatments increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.
• Menopause: The hormonal changes in menopause significantly increase your risk for osteoporosis. Estrogen protects the bones and decreases significantly during menopause, causing the bones to become brittle.
• Family History: Genetics plays a significant role in your overall health, and it's no different when it comes to osteoporosis. Having a first-degree relative who has osteoporosis increases your risk as well.
• Medical Conditions: Some medical conditions increase your risk for osteoporosis, such as cancer, endocrine disorders, and gastrointestinal problems like Crohn's disease.

Osteoporosis Risk Factors You Can Control

There are, however, risk factors that you can change when it comes to osteoporosis. If you're already at risk due to non-modifiable risk factors, it's essential to control the other factors that you can.

Some of the modifiable risk factors you can take control of to lower your chances of developing osteoporosis include the following:

• Alcohol Intake: Drinking alcohol regularly increases the chances of developing osteoporosis. If you're at risk, try to limit your alcohol intake or drink less than two drinks per day.
• Smoking: Smoking affects your health in more ways than you know; it doubles your chances of a fracture related to osteoporosis.
• Physical Inactivity: A sedentary lifestyle also increases your risk of fractures, especially when you have osteoporosis. Physical inactivity results in muscle and bone loss, increasing the chances of osteoporosis and fractures.
• Low Calcium Intake: Calcium is essential for bone health, so you should ensure you're getting enough in your daily regimen. Low calcium results in bone loss and osteoporosis.
• Poor Nutrition: Malnutrition is more likely in older adults who require more vitamins and minerals to maintain their health. Poor nutrition may lead to chronic disease, falls, and fractures, along with increasing the risk for osteoporosis.

If you're worried about osteoporosis, don't hesitate to call Eastside Family Health Center, Kirkland, WA today or request a consultation on the website.