Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disorder and a health concern affecting over 200 million people worldwide. It affects both men and women, however, the risk of developing this deteriorating disease increases with age and women are more vulnerable, 1 in every 3 women compared to 1 in every 5 men experience osteoporotic fracture. Suffering from this disease is inevitable but as peak bone mineral density (BMD) is reached between 20-30 years, osteoporosis can be prevented by creating sufficient BMD during childhood. There are different factors that affect the risk level associated with the progression of the disease such as ethnicity, diet, hormonal imbalance and other conditions such as lactose intolerance, hyperparathyroidism and sickle cell disease. This book provides prior knowledge of the disease, possible (known) causes, symptoms, diagnostics, and current treatments. It deals with the effectiveness of some of the current medication and the importance of nutrition on bone health in childhood and adolescence. It is likely that the number of individuals suffering from osteoporosis would increase in the future and thus a protocol to decrease this number is provided.