When an individual experiences a lower-than-normal bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis is not usually the cause, medical research says. Osteopenia can also be a reason. Currently, osteoporosis is being talked about due to the rise of Fosamax-related issues. Right now it is important to know the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Osteopenia is considered by the medical industry as a precursor to osteoporosis. However, it is not always the outcome of osteopenia. OId age is the normal reason why osteopenia happens. Bones become thinner when one grows older. Circumstances like menopausal phase, eating disorders/metabolism problems, chemotherapy/steroid medicines, and radiation exposure may also contribute to its development. Symptoms are not seen on this condition. However, there is a higher risk of bone breaking.
Osteoporosis is one of the most common type of bone disease. It is a medical condition characterized by thinning of the bone tissues and losing bone density overtime. This can either occur when the body cannot make new bones or the body reabsorbs too much old bones. There are still many reasons why this kind of medical condition can happen, such as:
· Estrogen drop among women and testosterone drop among men
· Chronic rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, eating disorder
· Taking corticosteroid medications every day for more than 3 months and intake of some antiseizure drug
· Hyperparathyroidism
· Vitamin D deficiency
Osteoporosis is quite similar to osteopenia as it does not display symptoms until it’s late stage. These symptoms include:
· Bone pain or tenderness
· Fractures with little or no trauma
· Loss of height (as much as 6 inches) over time
· Low back pain due to fractures of the spinal bones
· Neck pain due to fractures of the spinal bones
· Stooped posture or kyphosis, also called a “dowager’s hump”
The vital core for osteopenia and osteoporosis is said to be bone mineral density. And it is defined as the total amount of eating disorders/metabolism problems, chemotherapy/steroid medicines, and radiation exposure. A bone mineral density test can identify its amount. Individuals with normal bone density are expected to have a -1.0 test result or higher. For people with osteopenia, it is between -1.0 and -2.5. On the other hand, -2.5 bone density test result happens on people with osteoporosis.
When osteopenia and osteoporosis runs in the blood, it is very important for one to check on his/her BMD. Furthermore, with the right information, men and women may be able to avoid these conditions and even downplay the future occurrence of a Fosamax lawsuit.
References:
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/tc/osteopenia-overview
http://web.archive.org/web/20080307014020/http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/bonemass.htm
http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opbmd.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001400/
