The Cause and Prevention of Brittle Bone Disease

Add This To Del.icio.us Share on Facebook StumbleUpon This Add to Technorati Digg This

Brittle bone disease, also known as osteoporosis, is a degenerative bone disease and affects thousands of people in the United States every year. There are around 93,000 osteoporotic hip fractures, and about 11-19 percent of people in the US die within a year due to such fractures.
A healthy bone is made up of tiny holes resembling honeycomb, however, in bones afflicted with osteoporosis these honeycomb like holes start breaking down and much bigger holes are created. This causes the bone to lose its strength and become thin and brittle.
Three different types of bones cells help in maintaining the bones, they are:
• Osteoclasts that remove the bone tissue
• Osteoblasts that create new bone cells
• Osteocytes that facilitate the entire process
Brittle bones occur when the osteoclast cells have to work harder and they end up creating more wider gaps in the honeycomb that what the osteoblast sells can actually fill.
Due to this, there is a significant loss in the height of the afflicted person and the spine also becomes misaligned. Some of the high risk areas for this disease are the hips, shoulders, wrist, and back.
Some risk factors that can lead to Osteoporosis are:
• smoking
• low body weight
• lack of activity
• dietary, low calcium intake
• drugs, including prolonged use of steroids
• family history
• excessive alcohol consumption
Some of these risk factors such as gender and family history are inherited and are unpreventable. However factors such as use of drugs, smoke, lack of physical activity can increase the risk of osteoporosis and life style changes can reduce the risk of osteoporosis developing.
Osteoporosis symptoms
Osteoporosis is often called the 'silent disease' as there are few discernible symptoms that indicate that an individual is at risk or has developed the disease. However, people suffering from brittle bone disease will experience more frequent bone fractures. If a bone fractures from a minor fall, or even no fall at all, it is wise to ask your doctor to assess your risk of developing osteoporosis.
Often the condition that causes brittle bones is hereditary, that is it gets passed from one generation to the next. It is important to know that some people can also develop it during their lifetime even when there is no family history for osteoporosis.
The gene that is affected by brittle bone disease is the one that is also responsible for the production of collagen and also play an important role in protecting the bones.
How to prevent and control osteoporosis
It is possible to prevent osteoporosis by eating a nutritious diet that is rich in calcium, minerals and vitamins. Aside from that, regular exercises, dancing, jogging and walking are also helpful. One should try to maintain normal body weight and avoid smoking or drinking excessive alcohol. Soda pop drinks should also be avoided as they can interfere with the absorption of calcium in the body.
The brittle bone disease is definitely a serious bone condition and it should not be taken lightly. All those who think that they are suffering from this condition should get in touch with a doctor for evaluation, because the sooner you begin working on its prevention, the better off you will be in the long run.

One of the best blogs I have come across is Bone Diseases Treatment which you can visit by Clicking Here .

Best Blogs of World

For Further Reading,

Interesting