Jin Hyeon-jeong, Chief of Internal Medicine, Jeju Medical Center
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become less dense and break easily and have no obvious symptoms. Therefore, many people do not know that they have osteoporosis, but are diagnosed with osteoporosis only after a fracture occurs. However, it is fortunate if a fracture occurs and recovery is achieved through a cast or surgery. However, in the elderly, osteoporosis is a very important disease to diagnose and prevent because it can increase the possibility of death.
The most accurate way to diagnose osteoporosis is through DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), which measures bone density in the spine (short bone) and femur (long bone) using two different x-rays. Here’s how. In this test, there are two types of T-score and Z-score. The T-score is the result of comparing bone density with that of an average healthy young adult. If this score is lower than -2.5, osteoporosis is diagnosed, and health insurance provides medication. It becomes the standard for dosing.
There are restrictions for getting an osteoporosis test covered by health insurance, such as being a woman over 65 years of age, a man over 70 years of age, having a disease that can cause osteoporosis, taking drugs that can cause osteoporosis such as steroids for more than 3 months, and having diarrhea. Even if the test meets the criteria, if the bone density test is normal, health insurance coverage cannot be applied again until after two years.
The problem is that in the case of middle-aged women in their 50s and 60s, bone density decreases rapidly after menopause and muscle mass decreases, making it easy for them to fall and fracture their wrists or ankles. It’s possible. If you have osteoporosis, you may be able to get bone density testing and treatment medications covered by your health insurance.
A great way to assess your fracture risk without cost is the Fracture Risk Prediction Program (FRAX). It was developed by WHO for 64 countries around the world, including Korea. You can easily predict fracture risk by searching on the Internet and entering various information such as age, race, and gender. If the risk of fracture is high, visiting the hospital for an examination and management accordingly can help in managing and preventing osteoporosis.
It is also important to prevent osteoporosis through proper diet and exercise in daily life.
Vitamin D and calcium are the most important nutrients for maintaining bone density. It is recommended to limit your intake of alcohol, salt, and caffeine as they cause calcium to be excreted through urine. Many people know that vitamin D and calcium must be consumed through dairy products such as milk or cheese, but shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, mackerel, salmon, and eggs are also rich in vitamin D, so you can consume them according to your preference. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400-600IU, but 100g of salmon contains about 500IU of vitamin D, so you can get the daily recommended amount with just one meal.
Another way to provide vitamin D is to expose your body to sunlight for at least 15 minutes at least twice a week, which causes vitamin D to be synthesized through the skin. Vitamin D that enters through the skin is synthesized through the liver and kidneys and helps absorb calcium that enters our body. If there is a lack of vitamin D, calcium cannot be absorbed well, resulting in a lack of calcium in the blood. As parathyroid hormone is activated, the body draws calcium stored in the bones and uses it, causing osteoporosis to worsen. Therefore, excessive UV protection may be helpful for skin beauty, but may be detrimental to bone health. It is also recommended to maintain bone mass through exercises such as aerobic exercise, stretching, and running in place.
Rather than blindly following expensive, unproven nutritional supplements or treatment methods that people around you have heard are good, checking and practicing basic preventive measures and receiving appropriate tests and treatment will help you live a healthy and happy retirement without fractures.
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2024-04-07 05:44:33
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