By Keith W. Brown, DO

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine and wrist.

Any bone can be affected, but hip and spine fractures cause special concern. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk without assistance and may cause prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Twenty percent of women who experience an osteoporotic fracture after age 50 will die within six months. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain and deformity.

Osteoporosis screenings are available at Vista Osteoporosis Center. Please call 356-1212 for appointments.

Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans, or 55 percent of people ages 50 and better. In the United States, 10 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease; almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Know your risk factors
Certain people are more likely to develop osteoporosis. Risk factors for osteoporosis include:

• Personal history of fracture after age 50
• Current low bone mass
• History of fracture in a first-degree relative
• Being female
• Being thin and/or having a small frame
• Advanced age
• A family history of osteoporosis
• Estrogen deficiency as a result of menopause, especially if early or surgically induced
• Abnormal absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea)
• Anorexia nervosa
• Low lifetime calcium intake
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Use of certain medications (corticosteroids, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants and others)
• Presence of certain chronic medical conditions
• Low testosterone levels in men
• An inactive lifestyle
• Current cigarette smoking
• Excessive use of alcohol
• Being Caucasian or Asian, although African Americans and Hispanic Americans also are at significant risk

Special risks for postmenopausal women
Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis. The only accurate way to determine bone density and fracture risk for osteoporosis is to have a bone mass measurement (also called bone mineral density or BMD test).

Your doctor can help you determine whether you should have a BMD test; it is recommended for:

• All women ages 65 and better regardless of risk factors
• Younger postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors (other than being white, postmenopausal and female)
• Postmenopausal women with fractures (to confi rm the diagnosis and determine disease severity)
• All men ages 70 and better regardless of risk factors
• Estrogen-deficient women at clinical risk for osteoporosis
• Individuals with vertebral abnormalities
• Individuals receiving, or planning to receive, long-term glucocorticoid (steroid) therapy
• Individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism
• Individuals being monitored to assess the response or efficacy of an approved osteoporosis drug therapy

Medicare covers BMD testing every two years for individuals ages 65 and better.

Several ways to measure bone mineral density are available. All are painless, noninvasive and safe and are becoming more readily available. In many testing centers, it is unnecessary even to change into an examination robe.

Keith W. Brown, DO

Don't wait to find out that you've lost bone mass. Ask your doctor about a central Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan if you have any risk factors or concerns.

Keith W. Brown, DO, is a gynecologist with MEDSchool Associates whose practice is located at Vista Medical Terrace, Suite 211, 2345 E. Prater Way, Sparks (up the hill from Northern Nevada Medical Center). For more information or an appointment, please call 355-3300.

Northern Nevada Medical Center 2375 E. Prater Way, Sparks, NV 89434 775-331-7000