OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis

Loss of bone mass due to ageing, prolonged inactivity, hormone changes, drugs (excess oral steroids as in Cushing's syndrome, and also drugs given for Asthma and Rheumatoid arthritis or due to calcium deficiency; bones remain same size and shape, but their honeycomb structure becomes less dense because bone is broken down faster than it is replaced; lighter bones fracture easily and heal slowly. Condition is more common in women than men because after the menopause the parathyroid glands produce less calcitonin, the hormone which stimulates bones to absorb calcium; in three-quarters of women bone loss is fairly slow, but by the age of 80 most women have lost between half and a quarter of their bone mass. Scientists returning from prolonged periods of weightlessness in Space lab were found to have lost bone mass. Predisposing factors for osteoporosis include hysterectomy, removal of the ovaries before the age of 45, early menopause, family history, long-term illness, solitary occupation, drinking more than 40 units of alcohol a week, low body weight, poor calcium, magnesium and boron intake, Thyrotoxicosis a history of anorexia, smoking, caffeine, bran and laxatives, or being a vegetarian.