What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a painless disease which causes bones to become increasingly porous and fragile.
If a person who has been diagnosed does not receive adequate osteoporosis treatment, the disease progresses until a bone fractures or breaks. Most fractures occur in the spine, hip and wrist.
Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis, but men can also get the disease, and it is estimated that more than 28 million Americans have osteoporosis.
Inadequate Prevention of Osteoporosis
The first study indicates that older adults who reside in nursing homes may not receive enough calcium or vitamin D in their diets. Both calcium and vitamin D are considered beneficial in reducing a person’s risk of developing osteoporosis.
According to the AGS, a study of 109 nursing home residents with an average age of 85 showed:
- Only 8% of the nursing home residents received the recommended dosage of 1,500 milligrams of calcium per day
- Only 7% of the nursing home residents received the recommended dosage of 800IU of vitamin D per day.
Inadequate Osteoporosis Screening
In a second study, older adults were given two types of screening for osteoporosis: standard bone mineral density (BMD) screening and a newer technology called Instant Vertebral Assessment (IVA), which can detect fractures in the spine.
According to the study, IVA found at least one vertebral fracture, which is evidence of osteoporosis, in 59% of the adults. Standard BMD screening diagnosed osteoporosis in only 17% of those tested.
Nutrition and Diagnosis are Important for Osteoporosis Treatment[/br] Osteoporosis can be prevented with proper nutrition, exercise and health care. And if osteoporosis has been diagnosed, there are treatments available that can slow or even reverse the disease.
The first steps are making sure that older adults get adequate nutrition and proper diagnosis.
