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Common Causes of Osteoporosis |
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Lack of calcium and vitamin D
Not enough weight-bearing exercise
Menopause
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Symptoms
Osteoporosis is often called the "silent" disease, because you can't feel or notice that your bones have become fragile. Sometimes, you may notice a loss in height or pain from a fracture that isn't obvious. Often, though, people only learn they have the disease when they break a bone, usually in a minor fall that wouldn't normally cause a fracture. Hip and wrist fractures are the most common. The only other way to know you have the disease is to get a bone density test from your doctor.
People with osteoporosis tend to develop compression fractures of the spine. These can happen even after a seemingly normal activity, such as bending or twisting to pick up a light object. The fractures can cause severe back pain but sometimes go unnoticed. The vertebrae eventually collapse on themselves, resulting in the person losing height. The hunchback appearance of elderly women, sometimes called "dowager's hump" or "widow's hump," is caused by these fractures.
More on Osteoporosis Osteoporosis
The Importance of Screening
In the Encyclopedia: Seniors' health
Bone disorder drugs
Bone density test
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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