{"id":3692,"date":"2020-02-04T14:32:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T14:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=3692"},"modified":"2020-03-09T08:26:17","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T08:26:17","slug":"what-are-the-best-ways-to-manage-and-treat-osteoporosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/your-later-life\/what-are-the-best-ways-to-manage-and-treat-osteoporosis\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the best ways to manage and treat osteoporosis?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"167\" height=\"167\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-3694\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2020\/02\/07211313\/P4-Main-IOS-Prof-Moira-Headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2020\/02\/07211313\/P4-Main-IOS-Prof-Moira-Headshot.jpg 167w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2020\/02\/07211313\/P4-Main-IOS-Prof-Moira-Headshot-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 167px) 100vw, 167px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Professor Moira O&#8217;Brien <\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Founder and President, Irish Osteoporosis Society <\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>With \u20ac206,305,000 spent treating 3,751 hip fractures in 2018, broken bones should be taken more seriously.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is osteoporosis?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Osteoporosis is a disease that affects bone density (quality and strength), resulting in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture (broken bones), particularly of the hip, spine and wrist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&nbsp;is one of the most\nunderdiagnosed diseases worldwide,&nbsp;and research shows that&nbsp;the\nmajority of&nbsp;fractures occur in the&nbsp;moderate to marked osteopenia\nrange. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can we prevent osteoporosis<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Prevention can begin as far back as in utero. One in four men and one in two women over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. It occurs in all age groups; however mature Caucasian females are the highest risk group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only 15% of people are\ndiagnosed,&nbsp;which is why&nbsp;everyone should be&nbsp;filling in the risk\nfactor test on&nbsp;the Irish Osteoporosis Society&nbsp;(IOS)&nbsp;website,&nbsp;to&nbsp;check&nbsp;if\nthey have any&nbsp;risk factors for&nbsp;bone loss.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is early detection so important<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable in most people. This is why breaking bones should be taken far more seriously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering\nthe&nbsp;secondary&nbsp;effects&nbsp;of&nbsp;fragility&nbsp;fractures&nbsp;(broken\nbones from a simple fall or less)&nbsp;may cause&nbsp;pain,\ndisability,&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;independence,&nbsp;and premature death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ninety per cent of hip\nfractures are due to osteoporosis. Of those over 60 years of age who fracture\ntheir hip, 20% will pass away&nbsp;within\n12 months.&nbsp;In 2018, the Irish health system&nbsp;spent&nbsp;\u20ac206,305,000,&nbsp;treating 3,751 hip\nfractures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the difference between osteoporosis and arthritis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Osteoporosis and arthritis are two totally different diseases. Confusion can occur due to \u2018osteoporosis\u2019 and \u2018osteoarthritis\u2019 sounding similar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Osteoporosis affects&nbsp;bones, has&nbsp;no signs or symptoms\nprior to fractures, as people cannot feel&nbsp;themselves losing&nbsp;bone. Arthritis\nhas symptoms and affects joints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can you manage Osteoporosis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Exercise: <\/strong>Appropriate exercise&nbsp;is important, however, regular sit ups, touching toes&nbsp;while&nbsp;standing&nbsp;or&nbsp;sitting, trampolines,&nbsp;high impact,&nbsp;twisting your spine with your feet planted on the ground,&nbsp;are&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;recommended&nbsp;for those with bone loss.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Nutrition: <\/strong>Calcium, vitamin D and&nbsp;first-class&nbsp;proteins are essential and those with bone loss should&nbsp;be assessed by a registered dietician. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Medication:<\/strong>Osteoporosis is a disease and should be treated by medications&nbsp;that have&nbsp;been extensively researched. I&nbsp;would&nbsp;never recommend that people treat this disease alternatively. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Monitoring: <\/strong>All causes of bone loss should be&nbsp;investigated&nbsp;and addressed.&nbsp;Repeat&nbsp;DXA scanning should be carried out maximum every two years.&nbsp;For anyone worried about radiation exposure, a DXA scan has 10% radiation of a regular chest&nbsp;X-ray, so&nbsp;a&nbsp;person&nbsp;flying&nbsp;from Dublin to New York&nbsp;has&nbsp;received&nbsp;more radiation&nbsp;than a person having a DXA scan. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"color:#32373c;background-color:#4ccff4\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-notice ab-font-size-16 ab-block-notice\" data-id=\"5e5432\"><div class=\"ab-notice-text\" style=\"border-color:#4ccff4\"><p>The Assess &amp; Address programme schedule will be available on the IOS website and social media channels for those interested in discussing possible issues with a qualified medical professional. The programme allows members of the public to speak with a qualified nurse at select pharmacies nationwide and discuss their risk factors. For further information, please contact the national experts at the Irish Osteoporosis Society Charity <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.irishosteoporosis.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.irishosteoporosis.ie<\/a> to take the one minute risk assessment or call on 01 637 5050 and discuss your risk factors and ways to manage the condition.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With \u20ac206,305,000 spent treating 3,751 hip fractures in 2018, broken bones should be taken more seriously. What is osteoporosis?&nbsp; Osteoporosis is a disease that affects bone density (quality and strength), resulting in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture (broken bones), particularly of the hip, spine and wrist. It&nbsp;is one of the most underdiagnosed diseases worldwide,&nbsp;and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/your-later-life\/what-are-the-best-ways-to-manage-and-treat-osteoporosis\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4048],"tags":[4489],"class_list":["post-3692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-your-later-life","tag-your-later-life-2020"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2020\/02\/07211312\/GettyImages-103020870211-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2020\/02\/07211312\/GettyImages-103020870211-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Health Awareness","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/jennyhyndman\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3692"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3700,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3692\/revisions\/3700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}