Osteoporosis: It's not just about bone density

One in two women over the age of 55 will fracture a bone in their lifetime, "said Peyman Hadji, head of the Frankfurt Hormone and Osteoporosis Research Center, after the menopause. Risk of continuous production of estrogen continuously increases, because the female bad hormone plays a crucial role in the vitality of bones.As this also applies to testosterone, men are less susceptible to osteoporosis: the level of the male bad hormone remains relatively stable throughout life, women and men four to five to one, "says Hadji. In addition to bad, a genetic predisposition, some drugs and lifestyles can promote the development of this disease, which affects not only the bones, but the entire skeletal system, and also has an evolutionary character.

In total, between six and eight million people in Germany suffer from osteoporosis, which accounts for nearly one-tenth of the total population; Upward trend. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, a "Disease Management Program" should be established for the treatment of this disease to improve treatment and patient care. The osteoporosis specialist from Frankfurt, Hadji, is also involved.

Bone fractures due to osteoporosis are among the most common causes of long-term care. Triggers can be a slight fall or only a trip, congestion during lifting or a sudden movement. The bones of the thigh, neck, upper and lower arms, ribs and spine are most commonly broken. The fracture heals at an advanced age and porous bones are often difficult, surgery and hospitalization weigh heavily on the body. In addition, the patient must be long, while losing muscle, which can also have a fatal effect because can give little support. All of this ensures that often these people do not get on their feet properly, do not fall quickly and break nothing. It would be all the more important to recognize osteoporosis early and fight it.

Despite their enormous hardness (superior to that of granite), our more than 200 bones are not rigid and lifeless structures, but are subject to a constant process of transformation: old and damaged fabrics are degraded and replaced by new ones. These processes are controlled by a sophisticated interaction of hormones, minerals and vitamins. The most important mineral is calcium because it is incorporated into the bones. In the case of vitamins, D plays an important role in particular. By the age of 50, more bones are broken down than above. However, there is reason to be concerned when this inadequacy exceeds a certain degree. Then the bones become more and more porous, so that they can eventually break on smaller and smaller occasions.

In the vernacular, osteoporosis is also called bone loss. But what exactly happens in this process? It is often badociated with a loss of bone density. In fact, it's more complicated, says Hadji. Bone density describes the ratio of the mineralized bone substance to the volume of the bone. If it is high, it means strength and stability and if it is lower, it will be to the detriment of these two properties.

But in addition to the density, changes in the "architecture" internal bones also have a considerable effect on their quality, says the osteologist from Frankfurt. "You can imagine this as a half-timbered house, which can last only for centuries, because the wooden structure carries it in. If parts break, the whole structure loses its stability."