Male osteoporosis: when it affects not only women

Osteoporosis is a disease in which there is a decrease in bone mass or the tissues that form it, reaching to produce bone weakness, with which the risk of bone fractures increases. It is considered a frequent disease and usually affects a certain group of people who are more predisposed to suffer from this disease.

It is a disease that although it tends to affect women more in a greater proportion with respect to men, men also suffer from osteoporosis, currently reaching 20% ​​of men.

In both women and men the symptoms that this disease causes are the same.

The cause of women being most affected by this disease is that many women when they go through menopause have osteoporosis.

The group of people or groups that are most predisposed to suffer from osteoporosis and to those considered at risk are:

  • Women after having gone through menopause.
  • People who have or have followed a diet low in calcium.
  • People with unhealthy lifestyle habits: sedentary lifestyle, excessive consumption of tobacco and alcohol.
  • People with family backgrounds

Learn how bones are and their renewal throughout life

Bones, even if we are surprised, are constantly renewed throughout life, to the point that the oldest bone mass is replaced by new bone material.

The stage of life in which the bones grow the most, the strongest and densest they become, is during adolescence, being at this stage of life when the bone mass that is created is greater than the bone we lose.

When we overcome the barrier of 20 years the situation changes to the point of becoming otherwise, now we begin to lose more bone mass than we generate.

As a result of this it turns out that the bones become increasingly fragile and weak, breaking down more easily.

The most frequent bone fractures as a result of osteoporosis are the following as well as the symptoms:

  • Hip fracture is the most dangerous fracture, especially in elderly people, even complicating to the point of being fatal.
  • The wrists, forearms.
  • Spinal column.
  • Deformations in the column.
  • Weakness in bones
  • Incorrect postures
  • Muscle pains.
  • Pain in the neck.
  • Decrease in size and weight.

Osteoporosis in the case of men can come to appear as a consequence of some diseases causing secondary osteoporosis at an early age:

  • Hyperthyroidism (thyroid disorders).
  • Diabetes.
  • Chronic kidney disease.
  • Liver disease.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Gastrointestinal diseases as a result of malabsorption of vitamin D and calcium.
  • Eating disorders.
  • Leukemia.
  • Low levels of testosterone.

In addition to these diseases that predispose the man to suffer from osteoporosis other risk factors also influence the appearance of this disease:

  • Family background.
  • Unhealthy life habits: sedentary lifestyle, abuse of alcohol and tobacco.
  • Poor diet or low in calcium.
  • Age.
  • Prolonged use of medications (steroids) to treat cases of asthma, arthritis, antiepileptic drugs.
  • Treatments to treat cancer cases.
  • Antacids that contain aluminum.

Both men and women need calcium, since calcium is responsible for making the muscles contract properly, blood coagulates and nerves can also do their job is to transmit messages, so the body needs a a certain amount of calcium that circulates daily both in the blood and in the soft tissues.

When our body does not receive the necessary amount of calcium per day, it happens that our body covers these needs by resorting to the calcium found in our bones, weakening the bones over time and contributing to the development of osteoporosis.

Discover how we can detect if we suffer from osteoporosis

The test that doctors usually prescribe to detect this disease is a simple test and to make it last less than a minute, this test is called bone densitometry.

This test measures the calcium density of the bones through the emission of X-rays, but without X-ray irradiation. This test is complemented by other studies that the doctor will determine to ensure a correct diagnosis.

As we have said before, it is a simple, simple and comfortable test that does not generate complications and that both men and women must perform with fractures that occur easily, repetitive fractures or if we are in the group of prone people to suffer this disease or we are going through the stage of life considered as high risk. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician.We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor.

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