Osteoporosis Overview

" Welcome to our webcast I'm Lisa Clark. When it comes to osteoporosis most women think they know the basics but with ten million cases of osteoporosis. In the US alone. There's no doubt people need to know more about this serious condition which in many cases can be prevented. What exactly is osteoporosis. And why does it occur. Joining me today to answer these questions as doctor Carolyn backer. The associate director of the Toni Stabile osteoporosis center at Columbia University. Doctor Becker thanks for being here we appreciate it camp I guess we better start with the very basics what his bow and many it."

" I'll think about innocent dead tissue it is a living tissue. And it consists of calcium phosphate a lot of minerals it gives our body it's structures that we can walk. Also provides calcium and other minerals to maintain than normal. Balance in our lad -- As a living system -- what is normal phones cycle like how does that work. Right there -- send it we worry about osteoporosis. Is that. -- models that -- it is constantly getting rid of the old and replacing it with new -- so that it's structurally sound and strong pound. Yes we get older especially after age thirty or 35. For some reason abound that gets eaten away. To be replaced by new -- it's not replaced by as much new pants that there's a net loss of an -- the years the every modeling process goes on very rapidly after menopause for Whitman and that's often a time when there's very rapid bone loss. Once that happened did they think. We think it's because a -- of estrogen. Sets up a dynamic within the bounds at that -- and starts to be. Be more -- or after eaten away is rampant and -- there are two kinds of cells that we find in the bones. -- a plea -- build -- austere clay f.s are like little Pacman that he weighed the and caused these craters to be formed. And -- of estrogen and various other. Hormonal changes as well as aging. Seem to affect this balance so that. The own self eating away at the phone for some reason I overcome the cells that are. Forming new balance that you have. A loss of I don't know for time -- Now there is a bit of an erroneous assumption that osteoporosis is just something that affects older women. Actually you say that osteoporosis starts in childhood. There are two concepts there's a concept that peak on May athlete and there's a concept of -- you can end up with osteoporosis. At age fifty. If you never built a good skeleton when you were young and I think of the skeleton as a bank accounts. Until PH of parity it's all deposits. After 830 at 35 it's all withdrawals. So if for some -- as a child you'd did not get enough calcium you didn't have. I healthy lifestyle you smoked you couldn't get normal periods as a young teenage girl he. You will never built a strong skeleton for the rest of your life. And you may start losing bone in your charities and you're already at such a low level you could have osteoporosis. At age fifty and kept the balance of the eighty year old woman when -- only 51. Now everyone does. Lose bone man just as they age after age 35. What is the normal level of the loss per year for an average person -- if there is an average -- variants and we've we've studied this over -- and many years -- of women and men and both men and women lose that the rate of about. Point five to 1%. For a year and it's a very slow rate of bone loss by the after menopause some women. Can lose to the F 5% of their band per year which is a tremendous amount about lost the estrogen loss accelerates this dramatically yes -- What then is osteoporosis. From a clinical. Standpoint how do you define it it's a combination of low boat may have just not enough and porous -- which is believed the definition of osteoporosis. And structural -- microscopic. Damage to the that's fair. So that it really cannot support the weight of the person and they can get what we call fragility fractures. Meaning they can fracture with minimal or no trauma. And that's often when people first realized they have osteoporosis. Yes unfortunately. I've seen many patients who never thought they have osteoporosis. And maybe they were hired by decree and child and they cracked the -- and they were opening a window and it crashed one other vertebrae he. And that was the first indication may yet that they get past your current offense and we talked about. Lack of adequate nutrition or exercise in in youth or estrogen loss as a woman gets older. But they're also medical conditions or drugs that can. Accelerate our clients osteoporosis affects as well yes. We call this secondary osteoporosis. We -- is endocrinologist. We often look for these causes of osteoporosis when patients come in with severe bone loss. It can be anything including Mal absorption in patients with -- act disease are patients with -- or other gastrointestinal problems. Patients who -- put on steroids for excessive Barbara format. I'm patients who he had other diseases malignancy is there are. A number of other conditions that can lead to. Low bone may -- an -- for a fifth so the messages being vigilant. Doctor doctor be aware of the risks yes absolutely I think that. Thank you so much for joining us doctor Becker thank you -- and our thanks to you as well for joining us for our webcast on Lisa Clark thank you."