Osteoporosis and Arthritis — Emily Cope, Communications Director, Western PA
Osteoporosis…. It’s not a condition that worries most 25 year olds or even 40 year olds for that matter. But it should!
Osteoporosis is a disorder that causes weak bones. It can cause hump in the upper back, loss of height and increased risk of bone fracture. In the United States, osteoporosis affects about 28 million people and results in more than 1.5 million fractures of the back, wrists and hips each year. Pretty daunting stuff!
Alright so why should arthritis suffers be worried about osteoporosis? Well because they are at a heighten risk for it. Having an inflammatory form of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, leads to the production of substances that cause bone loss and bone loss increases the risk the osteoporosis. And people that take corticosteroids (powerful anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisone) to treat their arthritis are also at a greater risk for osteoporosis. These drugs may cause bone loss and are the most common cause of drug-related osteoporosis. Studies show that as dosage amount and frequency increase with corticosteroids so does bone loss.
Your bones reach their highest bone mass density (the strongest they’ll ever be) around ages 25 to 30. Around age 40, bone mass begins to slowly decline and in the first five to 10 years after menopause, women can lose up to one-third of their bone mass. Bone mass breaks down faster than it can be replaced and that is when people develop osteoporosis.
Luckily there are ways to lower your risk, especially if you’re under 35 (because your body is still able to easily build bone mass). Check out this easy list:
How to Prevent Osteoporosis
Before age 35:
- Increase calcium and vitamin D (daily calcium 1,500 mg, vitamin D 800 IU…if you don’t think you’re getting enough in your diet consider asking your doctor about supplements)
- Make healthy food choices
- Avoid smoking and heavy alcohol use
- Exercise
- Maintain a health body weight
Want to know more? Find out more information from the Arthritis Foundation on Osteoporosis and take this Osteoporosis Risk Assessment.
Has anyone found that their arthritis medications are speeding up bone loss? Has your doctor spoken to you about this possibility? What are you doing to prevent osteoporosis? Any helpful hints? Please share your experiences!
Stay well,
Emily Cope
Communications Director
Arthritis Foundation, Western PA
Tags: arthritis, Arthritis Foundation, awareness, bone loss, calcium, Chronic Pain, corticosteroid, Emily Cope, inflammatory arthritis, Low Bone Density, lupus, osteoporosis, osteoporosis prevention, osteoporosis risk assessment, Pittsburgh, Prednisone, rheumatoid arthritis, vitamin D, Western Pennsylvania
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