What are the symptom of osteoporosis?

Answer 1

Osteoporosis is a common type of metabolic bone disease in which bones become thinner and weaker as a part of aging. If it is left untreated, bones will become extremely fragile and some of them will be likely to break or fracture.

Symptoms occur late in the disease and they are: Loss of height as a result of weakened spines. A person may find that his/her clothes are no longer fitting and their pants looking longer. Patients may loose as much as 6 inches in height.

Other symptoms are:

- Cramps in the legs at night

- Bone pain and tenderness

- Neck pain, discomfort in the neck other than from injury or trauma

- Persistent pain in the spine or muscles of the lower back

- Abdominal pain

- Tooth loss

- Rib pain

- Broken bones

- Spinal deformities become evident like stooped posture, an outward curve at the top of the spine as a result of developing a vertebral collapse on the back.

- Fatigue

- Periodontal disease

- Brittle fingernails

These symptoms may also indicate other health problems like Arthritis or tendonitis.

Early detection and intervention are important in osteoporosis to slow the disease. Osteoporosis can be diagnosed with procedures like a complete medical and family history, bone density test, blood tests, spine X-ray and spine CT.

There are a number of medications and treatments that may help to increase bone density. Estrogen replacement therapy, Alendronate, Raloxifene and Calcitonin are some of them. However, the best treatment is prevention.

Many people with osteoporosis are diagnosed after experiencing pain associated with cracks or breaks in bones due to weakening from the loss of bone mass. This often occurs in the back, where vertebrae are easily fractured when weakened.

Answer 2

Osteoporosis actually has no symptoms. It manifests itself in the increased risk of bone fractures. Osteoporotic fractures occur in situations where healthy people would not normally break a bone.

Answer 3

The main symptom of osteoporosis is brittle bones. You may not notice this symptom until you have a fracture or break. The only really way to measure/diagnose osteoporosis is through a bone density scan which can tell if your bones are becoming more porous and fragile.

In many cases the first sign of osteoporosis is a bone break, and it can be severe. If you find yourself or someone you know loosing height over time and having a stooped posture then you might suggest they get a bone density test before it has progressed too far. It is an extremely painful condition that few medicines can relieve.