Beginning at menopause, women lose bone rapidly as their estrogen level drops. In men, factors that influence onset are poor calcium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract related to aging and testosterone deficiency. Over the past decade we have begun to hear a lot more about osteoporosis as a silent disease and what can be done about it, which is a very positive step. The downside is that there is a lot of misinformation circulating. A common definition of osteoporosis is a disease in which a person loses bone, which can be a confusing explanation if a person doesn't know the biology of bone formation, she notes.
Many factors determine bone mass, with age, sex, race, and genetics being most important.
With current medical technology, osteoporosis can be detected through a bone mass measurement, taken through scanning techniques such as ultrasound. Current drug treatments for the disease focus on reducing bone loss by slowing the change in bone mass. In my practice I treat many men and women who have shrunk two or three inches in height as a result of osteoporosis, and it's unfortunate because it could have been prevented. The Osteoporosis Book is published by Oxford University Press. Copyright 1999 Regents of the University of California.