Thesis And Complications Of Osteoporosis

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Osteoporosis is a silent, complex, multifactorial, chronic disease characterized by the progressive loss of bone density, which leads to the risk of imminent fractures (1). Osteoporosis "Osteo" is Latin for bone. "Pores" means "full of pores or holes." Thus, osteoporosis means "bones that are full of holes"(1). The bone mass reflects the balance between formation by osteoblasts and resorption by osteoclasts. Around the third decade of life the peak bone mass is reached, and then begins a slow process more continuous bone loss progresses with age(1). Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), the deterioration of the microarchitecture of cancellous or trabecular bone, and changes in the physical …show more content…

Nevertheless, it may also lead to mandibular fracture. Bone strength reflects the integration of 2 main features: bone density and bone quality.”(3). probably the only clinically applicable index of bone quality at present is a patient’s history of a fragility fracture. In the absence of methods of measuring bone quality, the diagnosis of osteoporosis tends to be made on the basis of low bone density. (Note: The World Health Organization (WHO) (4) defines fragility fracture as “a fracture caused by injury that would be insufficient to fracture normal bone: the result of reduced compressive and/or torsional strength of bone.” Clinically, a fragility fracture may be defined as one that occurs as a result of minimal trauma, such as a fall from a standing height or less, or no identifiable trauma …show more content…

BMD is the most important quantifiable predictor of osteoporotic fracture and low BMD with other major risk factors combine to further increase a person’s risk of fracture (6). Therefore, measuring BMD in a postmenopausal woman or a man over the age of 50 with 1 of the other major risk factors for fracture is a must. Risk factors for osteoporotic fracture are additive and should not be considered to be independent of one another. They must be evaluated in the context of baseline age and sex-related risk of fracture (6). For example, a 55 year old with low BMD is at significantly less risk than a 75 year old with the same low BMD. A person with low BMD and a prior fragility fracture is at considered more risk than another person with the same low BMD and no fracture

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