Frequently Asked Questions about Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone characterized by a loss of bone mass. Normal bone is living tissue and is always being made. Under normal circumstances, old bone dies and new bone replaces it. With osteoporosis not enough new bone replaces the old bone. The bone becomes weak and thin and fractures can result from normal movement.

How do I know if I am at risk to develop osteoporosis?

There are several common risk factors associated with the development of osteoporosis. Some of these factors can be altered through lifestyle changes and others cannot. Those risk factors that can be changed are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive caffeine intake, poor calcium intake, and lack of weight-bearing exercise. Risk factors that cannot be changed are gender, advancing age, race (osteoporosis is most prevalent in Caucasian women over 50 years old), family history, small body frame, and menopause before age 45.

How do I know if I have osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is often referred to as the silent disease. There are frequently no symptoms associated with the bone loss of osteoporosis until a fracture occurs. Osteoporosis can develop in women even in the absence of most of the risk factors mentioned at left. The best way to detect the presence of osteoporosis is to have a bone densitometry test by DEXA done to measure your bone mass.

A bone densitometry test is a painless, non-invasive exam similar to an x-ray. You lie on a table and remain still while the arm of the densitometry machine scans the area to be evaluated (usually the spine and hip). The technician remains in the room with you and the entire procedure takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The results of the densitometry can then be used to determine the possibility of the development of fractures. NOTE: The only way to obtain accurate comparisons is to have each bone densitometry test done on the same machine.