Osteoporosis affects many elderly women every year. Women over 65, postmenopausal and menopausal are at the highest risk and is the age group that is effected by it. Osteoperosis is a condition that effects the bone density. Dense bones can be porus and spongelike which results  in many fractures. Normal bones which are harder to break and aren’t compresssible are made up of proteins, collagen and  calcium. The spine, hips, ribs and wrist are normal areas to get fractured when osteoporosis has effected the bones.

Osteoporosis can be treated the best by early detection. Treatment is the preventment of loss of density. There is no complete cure for osteporosis but building bone strength is a good treatment. Lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, exercising reguarly and eating a balanced diet are treatments that have showed improvement in women with osteoporosis. Medications like  alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel), raloxifene (Evista), help build bone and prevent further damage.

All in all osteoporosis is a condition that makes elderly womens bones dense. It does not mean the end of thier lives but it does mean that they have to change thier lives for the better. And eat right, exercise and stop bad habits like smoking and drinking. Osteoporosis does not have a cure but there are many medicines and methods to treat it that helps rebuild bone density. Once a bone has been fractured no matter if it has osteoporosis or was normal it will never be exactly the same.

Sources: J. Tortora, Gerald, and Bryan Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken NJ, USA  2012.

“Osteoporosis”. www.medicinenet.com. Catherine Burt Driver, MD on 6/6/2012