Think "women's health" and you automatically think osteoporosis.
But the bone-thinning disease actually knows no gender. And while women are more likely to succumb to this disease, osteoporosis organizations worldwide are finally trying to stretch their message to include men.
November, osteoporosis month, is the perfect time to do so. Though worldwide ads show osteoporosis as a women's disease, it affects at least one in eight men over the age of 50. One Canadian study of healthy men and women found that the number of broken bones of the spine is similar in men and women over the age of 50.
According to Osteoporosis Canada, with age, men experience multiple vertebral fractures and account for almost 30% of hip fracture cases. Unlike women, men are more likely to die after a hip fracture. One in five men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetime.
The U.S.-based International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is one of the organizations trying to educate men about the disease. They put the risk of a man developing an osteoporotic fracture as greater than his likelihood of developing prostate cancer.
The disease, often called the "silent thief" because you may not know you have it, can reduce mobility and threaten independence. I recall interviewing a woman who recognized that she might have osteoporosis only when she found that a favourite dress that used to fall just below her knees, now fell closer to her ankles. Your spine can shrink or collapse with osteoporosis, and initially you may not even be in much pain.
Bone loss is actually a normal part of aging, but the label of osteoporosis is given when there is low bone mass and a deterioration of bone tissue as diagnosed by a non-invasive scanning technique called bone densitometry. Though men and women apparently lose the same amount of bone as they age, men compensate better by laying down more bone on the outer surface of the bone as part of the natural process of bone remodeling.
Last year, a study published in Canadian Family Physician underlined the seriousness of osteoporosis in men. Co-authors Dr. Natalie Cheng and Dr. Michael Green pointed out that men are twice as likely as women to die in hospital after hip fractures. They found that most male patients were not offered BMD screening as recommended by the Osteoporosis Society of Canada's guidelines.
"Primary care physicians need to increase their awareness of the prevalence of osteoporosis in men, of the seriousness of its consequences, and of the indications for screening and treatment," they wrote. Of course men also need to raise their own awareness. And don't think that osteoporosis is something only your grandfather has to worry about.
Kirk Pengilly, a band member of INXS, was diagnosed at the age of 37. "I thought osteoporosis was, you know, for old ladies," he told the IOF.
"I was shocked."
---
Reduce the Risk
According to the IOF, osteoporosis in men may be caused by prolonged exposure to certain meds such as steroids (including asthma drugs), chronic diseases that affect certain organs and alter hormone levels, undiagnosed low levels of testosterone and lifestyle habits such as smoking, not enough exercise (weight bearing is the most protective because it strengthens bone), excessive alcohol use and low calcium intake.
Protect yourself with the following:
- Eat a balanced diet rich in bone health nutrients including calcium and vitamin D. The latter also helps the body to absorb calcium
- Make sure you partake in weight-bearing exercise such as walking, tennis and jogging. All these help to maintain bone density, muscle strength, coordination and flexibility -- all of which reduce the risk of falls. Resistance training and lifting weights may also help maintain bone density.
- Check for potential dangers in the home such as poor lighting, clutter, slippery rugs and baths without handrails to further reduce the risk of fractures.
- If you have a fragility fracture, make sure you get a referral for bone mineral density testing.
