You're a rheumatologist. You are seeing a patient who fractured
her hip during a slip on her icy sidewalk. It's the second time she has broken
a bone due to a fall. Because of this, you recommend bone density testing.
"You
have to have good social skills to do this work," says Dr. Susan Barr. She
is a rheumatologist. "You do many exams on people and can develop long-term
relationships with the patients."
You explain to the patient that you're
concerned about her falls. You want to test her for a condition called osteoporosis.
She says that she knows nothing of the disease. This is what you tell her:
Osteoporosis
is a disease that affects the bones. The bones lose density and become fragile
and break. If this condition is left untreated, bone fractures can result.
The most common bones affected are the hip, spine and wrist.
It's important
to know about osteoporosis because it can be prevented. There are four ways
to prevent this disease. The first way is to eat a diet rich in calcium and
vitamin D. It's recommended that, depending on age, a person consume between
1,000 and 1,300 mg per day of calcium.
It's just as important to get
enough vitamin D, which aids in calcium absorption. Vitamin D can be absorbed
through the skin when in contact with sunlight, and can be found in some fortified
foods. A person needs an average of 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day.
Second,
weight-bearing exercise is necessary to keep up bone density.
Third,
a person should lead a healthy lifestyle. That means limiting alcohol intake
and not smoking.
Lastly, bone density testing can catch osteoporosis
early. Some medications can be used to prevent and treat the disease. Estrogen
replacement or hormone replacement therapy, alendronate, raloxifene and risedronate
can all be used to prevent osteoporosis.
The patient nods
her head. She agrees that she wants her bone density to be tested. But first
she has some questions: