World Osteoporosis Day: Stronger bones for a healthier tomorrow

What's osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a silent disease. The first symptom of the disease could be a fracture. On 20th October, we are celebrating world osteoporosis day.

Osteoporosis happens when the bone loss overtakes the bone formation in our body.

Problem statement:
This poses a major health burden in many countries, including India . In india, About 23 percent of children suffer from osteoporosis . About 37 percent of the Elderly are diagnosed to have osteoporosis, whereas about 18 % of the adults have osteoporosis .

Burden of osteoporosis in India is estimated to be about 6 crore people, 80 percent of this is in women.

Causes of osteoporosis:
The commonest cause of osteoporosis is postmenopausal in women and senile in elderly (mostly in women).

Other causes of osteoporosis are chronic debilitating conditions, sedentary lifestyles, immobility, obesity, alcohol, and smoking. This causes a high risk for developing osteoporosis even in younger population.

Presently, the osteoporosis is a silent epidemic, especially in urban areas due to lack of physical activity and poor nutrition.

Since osteoporosis doesn't cause any symptoms, the first sign maybe a fracture. The fracture in elderly causes significant, morbidity and mortality causing decline in the quality of life.

Awareness and prevention
Awareness of the osteoporosis is the first step in understanding and preventing the consequences of the osteoporosis.

Prevention of osteoporosis:
1. Good nutrition, which is rich in calcium and vitamin D. Sunlight is the rich source of vit D .
The diet which contains calcium is milk and milk products, ragi and seafood.
2. ⁠ Regular physical activities and exercises will help in keeping the bones healthy.
3. ⁠ Avoid sedentary lifestyle, and Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol.
4. ⁠ Regular screening of elderly and high risk patients, and screening during the regular health check, will help in identifying the osteoporosis at early stage.
5. ⁠ Medications to help in preventing osteoporosis in high risk patients needs to be discussed healthcare professional.

Awareness:
On this world osteoporosis Day, let us pledge to bring awareness and knowledge among the public and the elderly high risk groups about this silent pandemic, which can cause significant burden if not detected and treated at the early stage.

Conclusion
This world osteoporosis day is a reminder for us that osteoporosis is a preventable disease. Awareness about the disease, healthy dietary choices, physical activities, and proper nutrition can significantly reduce the risk of osteoporosis and associated complications.

As an orthopaedic surgeon, I urge individuals, families, and healthcare professionals to bring awareness and osteoporosis no longer continues as a silent disease, but a treatable medical condition.

Let's build stronger bones for a healthier tomorrow.