Symptoms and Causes for Osteoporosis

Common signs and symptoms for Osteoporosis:

Many people do not realize they have osteoporosis until diagnosis reveals it has subsisted for a long period of time. The following are some of the common signs and symptoms indicating osteoporosis maybe affecting you:

-Acute onset of back pain (mid- lower back) without any specific reason

-Fracture in the thigh bone, hipbone or lower arm bone above the wrist.

-Sharp pain in the back, ribs, hip or wrist

-A hunched forward or bent stature

-Loss of height due to collapsing vertebrae.

-Stooped posture.

-Limited mobility

Causes for Osteoporosis:

Most Common Causes for Osteoporosis

There are multiple reasons that could lead to osteoporosis.

Here are some of the most common reasons that have been known to cause osteoporosis:

-Among women the deficiency of Estrogen (a group of hormones) post menopause has been correlated to a rapid reduction in BMD.

-The increased risk of falling associated with aging, leads to fractures of the wrist, spine and hip.

-Other hormone deficiency states can lead to osteoporosis, such as testosterone deficiency. Glucocorticoid or thyroxin excess states also lead to osteoporosis.

-Not eating foods rich in Calcium, Vitamin D and Phosphorous can also cause bone loss. Calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency from malnutrition also increases the risk of osteoporosis.

-Some medicines can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb calcium. This may cause the bones to weaken. These medications include cortisone/corticost eroids, anticoagulants, thyroid supplements, and some anti-convulsive drugs.

-Other illnesses or diseases, such over-active thyroid, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis may also cause bone loss. A disease such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia can cause changes in a person's estrogen level and lead to osteoporosis.

-Other significant factors leading to the onset of osteoporosis include: smoking cigarettes, high intake of alcohol, tea or coffee, low levels of physical activity (weight bearing exercise), and family history.