Complications of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that results in bone loss. There are no visible signs or symptoms of this disorder; it only becomes noticeable when you suddenly suffer from bone breakage or fractures. Pain resulting from osteoporosis can affect the quality of your life or even trigger detrimental complications.

Bones often break down and get replaced with new ones. Osteoporosis causes the bones to be broken down at a much quicker rate than they can be replaced, and this makes them less dense and highly porous. This fragility weakens the bones making them more vulnerable to frequent breaks and fractures. 

Osteoporosis can really be impactful on your life’s quality. Lifestyle interferences range from depression, pain, to chronic home care. People suffering from osteoporosis may develop potential complications. It is, therefore, important that such people seek medical assistance before the condition worsens.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

No specific signs are existent for osteoporosis. Most often, people don’t recognize that they are suffering from it until they encounter a sudden bump or fall, which causes their bones to break. Certain people will undergo a significant loss of height or a crouched posture due to a broken vertebrae or curving of the spine.

Risk Factors of Osteoporosis

Several factors are responsible for osteoporosis. These include age, genetics, tobacco and alcohol, certain medications, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, lack of enough exercise, low levels of calcium and vitamin D in the body, and body type. People who are small and slender are more likely to get it.

Complications of Osteoporosis

Apart from making you more vulnerable to breaks or fractures, osteoporosis can also result in other complications:

Limited Mobility

Bone loss can sometimes be disabling and might even limit your normal physical activity. This, in turn, makes you gain excess weight and amplify stress or strain on your bones, especially in your knees and hips. Putting on more weight can as well increase your susceptibility to other problems like diabetes and heart diseases.

Pain

Fractures brought about by osteoporosis can really be painful and devastating. Spinal fractures can lead to height loss, persistent back or neck pain, or even a stooping posture.

Nursing Home Care

More often, hip fractures result in long-term home care nursing. People who are forbidden to move frequently can develop cardiovascular complications, infectious diseases, and many other complications.

Depression

Insufficient physical activity can cause a detrimental loss of independence and loneliness. The activities that you’ve always enjoyed might become very painful now. This loss, combined with the fear of more fractures, can lead to depression. An unhealthy emotional condition can prevent you from effectively managing your health. A positive outlook can be beneficial in handling any medical issues.

Hospital Admission

People living with osteoporosis can easily break a bone and may not even realize what has happened to them. Most fractured bones require hospital care. In accordance with medical studies, there have been about 250,000 hospital admittances for hip fractures in individuals who are 65 years old. Surgery is always needed in this process, which can result in a longer hospital stay and expensive costs.

There isn’t a definite cure for osteoporosis; hence, treatment aims at slowing down the progression of the condition and managing its symptoms. Bones require a lot of calcium to remain strong and healthy. Being incapable of getting adequate calcium can trigger the development of osteoporosis in the near future.