What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones. It can cause loss of bone mass, as well as bone tissue damage. The disease can increase a person’s risk for falls and painful fractures, but often shows no symptoms in its early stages.
What are the risk factors? The best defense against osteoporosis is to know about the risk factors. Some can be controlled, such as weight and medication use. Some cannot be controlled, including having a family history of the disease and aging. However, there are healthy lifestyle choices everyone can make to reduce the risk of getting osteoporosis. These include reducing alcohol use, not smoking, exercising and eating a healthy diet. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D can also help.
Should you get screened? Lower back pain or stooped posture could be early signs of bone weakening. You might also notice fractures happening more easily. The best way to find out if you have osteoporosis is to get screened with a bone density test before fractures or broken bones occur. The screening is quick and simple. Talk to your doctor about getting a screening and about how often you should get screened in the future.