RESTORING AGING

BONES
PRESENTED BY: CHRISTIAN SAWAYA
WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS ?

• Osteoporosis is a health condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to
break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden
impact causes a bone to break (fracture).

The most common injuries in people with osteoporosis are:

• broken wrist
• broken hip
• broken spinal bones (vertebrae)
Osteoporosis means that that your bones are becoming thinner and weaker, increasing your risk of life threatening
fractures.
WHO IS AFFECTED BY OSTEOPOROSIS?

• Osteoporosis affects more women than men. Of the estimated 10 million Americans with
osteoporosis, more than 8 million (or 80%) are women. It is an especially serious
challenge for post-menopausal women, half of whom will suffer an osteoporosis-related
fracture.
HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?

• Osteoporosis arises when the body’s natural cycle of bone dissolving and replacement
gets out of balance, usually beginning around age 40.
• Thinning occurs when bone-removing cells, or osteoclasts, are more active than bone-
building ones, or osteoblasts.
•The result of osteoporosis is
weakened bone, such as the damaged
vertebrae shown here to the left of
healthy ones.

• Diagnosis and treatment are

improving. A newer imaging
technique, called DEXA, can now
spot weakened bone before fracture.

It's a short, painless procedure that takes 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the part of the
body being scanned.
Your bone density can be compared to that of a healthy young adult. 
The difference is calculated as a standard deviation (SD) and is called a T score.
Standard deviation is a measure of variability based on an average or expected value. A
T score of:
•above -1 SD is normal 
•between -1 and -2.5 SD shows bone loss and is defined as osteopenia
•below -2.5 shows bone loss and is defined as osteoporosis
CAUSES OF OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is caused by bone loss. Most often, the reason for bone loss is very low levels of the
hormone estrogen Estrogen plays an important role in building and maintaining your bones.
Many other factors can also increase the risk of developing osteoporosis, including:
• taking high-dose steroid tablets for more than 3 months
• a family history of osteoporosis – particularly a hip fracture in a parent
• long-term use of certain medicines that can affect bone strength or hormone levels, such as anti-oestrogen
tablets that many women take after breast cancer
• not exercising regularly
• heavy drinking and smoking
TREATING OSTEOPOROSIS

• Treatment for osteoporosis is based on treating and preventing broken bones, and taking
medicine to strengthen your bones, primarily by blocking the activity of osteoclasts
• The decision about whether you need treatment depends on your risk of breaking a bone
in the future. This will be based on a number of factors such as your age, sex and the
results of your bone density scan.
• Recent bone-strengthening drugs have been found to reduce fracture risk by up to 50
percent over three years.
PREVENTING BONE LOSS

Preventive measures adopted early in life also protect bone density:

• taking regular exercise to keep your bones as strong as possible
• healthy eating – including foods rich in calcium and vitamin D
• taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D
• making lifestyle changes – such as giving up smoking and reducing
your alcohol consumption
MCQ QUESTIONS

• 1) When not in balance, what natural process is thought to underlie osteoporosis?

• a) stress molding
• b) production of bone marrow
• c) bone formation
• d) fracture repair
MCQ QUESTIONS

• 1) When not in balance, what natural process is thought to underlie osteoporosis?

• a) stress molding
• b) production of bone marrow
• c) bone formation
• d) fracture repair
2)What two types of bone cells carry out bone dissolving and
formation?

a) osteoclasts and osteoblasts

b) macrophages and astrocytes
c) red blood cells and white blood cells
d) red marrow cells and yellow marrow cells

3) On average, what percentage of post-menopausal women

will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture?

a) 10%
b) 25%
c) 50%
d) 90%
2)What two types of bone cells carry out bone dissolving and
formation?

a) osteoclasts and osteoblasts

b) macrophages and astrocytes
c) red blood cells and white blood cells
d) red marrow cells and yellow marrow cells

3) On average, what percentage of post-menopausal

women
will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture?

a) 10%
b) 25%
c) 50%
d) 90%
4) While doing a DEXA scan, a patient gets a SD result of -2.8. This
patient is :

a) Diagnosed with osteoporosis

b) Diagnosed with osteopenia
c) Normal
d) None of the above
4) While doing a DEXA scan, a patient gets a SD result of -2.8. This
patient is :

a) Diagnosed with osteoporosis

b) Diagnosed with osteopenia
c) Normal
d) None of the above
CONCLUSION

• While aging, we may suffer from several health conditions, osteoporosis being one of
them that weakens bones and might end up breaking them. Some activities such as
smoking or lack of exercise might increase the chances of getting osteoporosis. This is
why it is important to keep a healthy diet and lifestyle to significantly increase the
chances of maintaining strong and healthy bones.