What is osteoporosis?

Normal bone

Osteoporotic bone

Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” If you look at healthy bone under a microscope, you will see that parts of it looks like a honeycomb. In people with osteoporosis, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much bigger than they are in healthy bone. This is called losing bone mass or bone density. As your bones lose density, they become weaker and more likely to fracture (break), especially in the wrist, hip and spine. In the early stages, osteoporosis may not have any symptoms, so you may not realize that you have osteoprosis unless your doctor performs specific test, such as a bone density test.

If your doctor has told you that you have osteoprosis, you are not alone. Canadian statistics show that at least one in three women and one in five men will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime. In fact, fractures from osteoporosis are more common than heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer combined.

What does osteoporosis have to do with inflammatory disease?

There are many health conditions that can add to your risk of developing osteoporosis including the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. You may want to speak to your doctor about getting your bone density tested if you have either of these conditions. Both the condition itself and the medications used to treat it can increase risk of osteoporosis in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). People with lupus may need to take medicine, such as steroids, to control their symptoms which can lead to bone loss and osteoporosis.

Get the FRAX® about osteoporosis

Another tool that your doctor may use to estimate your risk of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis in the next 10 years is the fracture risk assessment tool called FRAX®. This tool is used if you have had a bone density test showing that you have low bone density (osteopenia). It can help your doctor determine if you are someone that might benefit from taking an osteoporosis medicine by using information about your bone density and about any other fracture risk factors you may have.

Some bone density testing clinics automatically provide a FRAX® score with the bone density measurement, but you or your doctor can also access a FRAX® calculator by clicking on this link:
Visit Site