Word: osteopenia
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2004-2004
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...years ago, my mother went for her annual checkup and added a new word to her vocabulary--osteopenia. She was well aware of osteoporosis, the bone thinning that occurs with age, but had never heard of its precursor. Having osteopenia meant she had low bone mass and was at greater risk of developing osteoporosis and perhaps breaking a hip or other bones in the years ahead...
Like my mom, some 34 million Americans have osteopenia, according to Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who released a survey of the state of America's skeletal system last week. It was the first Surgeon General's report on bone health, and the news wasn't good. According to Carmona, 10 million Americans age 50 or older already have osteoporosis, and 1.5 million each year suffer osteoporosis-related fractures--typically in the hip, spine or wrist. Treating these fractures cost between $12 billion and $18 billion in 2002, the most recent year for which figures are available. And the situation will...
...over 65, it's a good idea to take a bone-mineral-density test every few years. It measures how "full" your bones are. If you have osteoporosis or advanced osteopenia, your doctor may prescribe drugs such as bisphosphonates or estrogen substitutes as well as a weight-training program. If you've already suffered a fracture, injections of parathyroid hormone can actually rebuild bone...
| 1 |