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Staff writer Jean P. Fisher can be reached at 829-4753 or jfisher@newsobserver.com.
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More on bone loss
What is osteoporosis? It's a disease that weakens bones to the point where they break easily. Breaks occur most often in the hip, backbone and wrist.
How is it diagnosed? Bone-density tests can show that the naturally occurring spaces in the bones, which normally look a little like honeycomb, have grown larger and the outer shell of bones grows thinner and weaker.
Who has osteoporosis? Women are most often diagnosed, but more than 2 million American men also have this disease. An estimated 10 million Americans have osteoporosis now, and an additional 34 million have low bone mass, which increases their risk of developing the disease.
What are the risk factors? A family history of the disease, a broken bone while an adult, early menopause and low calcium consumption can contribute to the disease. The risk increases with age.
What can be done to prevent the disease? Eat foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D and participate in regular weight-bearing exercises such as walking or running.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING; NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS FOUNDATION
RESOURCES
National Osteoporosis Foundation
1232 22nd St., NW
Washington, DC 20037-1292
Phone: (202) 223-2226
National Institutes of Health
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases -- National Resource Center
2 AMS Circle
Bethesda, MD 20892-3676
(800) 624-2663
(202) 466-4315 (TTY)
National Library of Medicine
MedlinePlus
In Health Topics, go to:
"Osteoporosis"
"Falls"
The National Institute on Aging has information on health and aging, including a booklet and video about exercise for older people. Contact:
National Institute on Aging Information Center
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
(800) 222-2225
(800) 222-4225 (TTY)
To order publications (in English or Spanish) or sign up for regular e-mail alerts, go to www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation.
Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov (www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a senior-friendly Web site from the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine. The Web site features popular health topics for older adults. It has large type and a talking function that "reads" the text out loud.
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In recent years, doctors and patients have become more concerned about Fosamax's link to a degenerative jaw problem that causes part of the jaw bone to die and become exposed. The jaw condition is most associated with cancer patients who received intravenous treatment with liquid bisphosphonates. But a small number of otherwise healthy osteoporosis patients who took a pill form of Fosamax also developed the jaw problem.Who will give it up?Harriett Young of Oxford, 64, who has taken Fosamax for the past six years, was happy to give up her prescription after a visit with Lyles this month. She decided to quit the drug after Lyles assured her that she met all the new clinical guidelines for discontinuing it. Young has never broken a bone, she is not in any pain and her latest bone density scans did not raise Lyles' concerns."Given a choice, if it's not going to help me and I've got enough of it in my body already, why take it?" Young said. She will have a bone density scan and follow-up appointment with Lyles next year to make sure her bone loss does not accelerate rapidly without the drug.Dr. Conrad Flick, a Raleigh family physician who treats many patients with osteoporosis, said some people won't be so willing to forgo Fosamax."Someone with osteoporosis has an eight to 10 times greater risk of hip fracture," he said. "Since there is no new safety risk here, I think some people would just as soon continue [Fosamax]."Lyles agrees. One patient with whom he discussed stopping Fosamax declined to do so, even though she has not suffered a bone fracture in five years and met all other criteria for stopping. Any additional risk of fracture wasn't worth it to her."It's something you discuss with every patient who comes to you," Lyles said. "People have to be allowed to deal with these issues personally."
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