According to research, the prevalence of osteoporosis in people over 50 years old in China is 192%, of which the prevalence in women is 321%, and the prevalence in women over 65 years of age is as high as 516%。This means that 1 in 5 people over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, and 1 in 3 women have osteoporosis. One in 2 people over the age of 65 has osteoporosis.
The prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing year by year and is closely related to the aging of the population. Because as the quality of life improves, people's life expectancy increases, and the proportion of older people also increases the prevalence of osteoporosis.
So, what is going on with such a high prevalence of the disease?
Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease. It is characterized by osteopenia, deterioration of bone microstructure, decreased bone strength, increased fragility, and its most direct adverse consequence is that it is prone to fractures. Fractures caused by osteoporosis not only increase the mortality and disability rates of the elderly, but also add a heavy burden to the patient's family and society.
Osteoporosis is divided into two categories, primary osteoporosis and secondary osteoporosis. Primary osteoporosis is more common in older people, especially older women, especially in menopausal women, which is related to the decrease in estrogen levels in women after menopause. Older men also suffer from osteoporosis, which is related to the degeneration of bone tissue in older adults. Secondary osteoporosis is related to nutritional imbalance, long-term medication, endocrine diseases, genetics and other factors. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the occurrence of this disease is related to "kidney qi". Old age and frailty, weak spleen, kidney essence deficiency, kidney yang deficiency, unable to fill the bone and marrow;Or the good and the false and the evil invade, the good and the false guard are not solid, the external evil takes advantage of the weakness to enter, the bones are not nourished, and the marrow is deficient and the bones are loose;Or the congenital endowment is insufficient, the acquired is not nourished, the kidney qi is weak, and the bone and marrow cannot be filled. Classified as "bone atrophy".
Many elderly people have little understanding of osteoporosis, and often learn that the occurrence of fractures is related to osteoporosis after a doctor's diagnosis and explanation after a fall and fracture. The reason why many people do not fully understand him is that osteoporosis does not appear very acute manifestations and symptoms, and it is also one of the reasons why the disease is insidious. In fact, if you have osteoporosis, your body can give warning signs in many places.
First of all, age is an overarching factor. In middle-aged and elderly people, especially those over 50 years old, people should be alert to the occurrence of this disease. Because of entering middle and old age, it has also entered a period of high incidence of the disease. Postmenopausal women are at higher risk. Secondly, some common problems should also be vigilant. For example, unprovoked, recurrent low back pain, especially at night, early in the morning, and with activity. Sometimes, the pain can be chronic not only in the lower back but also throughout the body. Another characteristic is that it is accompanied by low back pain, shortened height, and hunched back. This indicates that osteoporosis of the spine has led to a decrease in the height of the vertebral body of the spine, which is a relatively intuitive manifestation. The last one is the fracture after a fall in life, which is already the most serious problem caused by osteoporosis.
In addition to paying attention to these details in daily life, the disease can also be diagnosed through more intuitive examinations. The common examination method is bone densitometry, which can obtain a more accurate diagnosis by detecting the lumbar spine, wrist, hip joint and other parts through the instrument. It can also be comprehensively judged by the detection of relevant enzyme and peptide content and biochemical indexes in serum. More severe forms of osteoporosis can even be detected by X-rays.
So how do you diagnose osteoporosis?First of all, calcium supplementation alone is not enough. Many people have a certain understanding of osteoporosis and think that calcium or vitamin D supplementation is needed. In fact, it is not enough to simply supplement calcium and vitamin D, we also need to take some anti-osteoporosis drugs at the same time, bisphosphonates of Western medicine, such as Fushanmei, calcitonins such as salmon calcitonin, and some hormone drugs, which need to be selected and used under the guidance of physicians according to different clinical conditions. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine also has a good effect on strengthening the spleen and kidneys, strengthening muscles and bones.
In normal times, middle-aged and elderly people should pay attention to the appropriate outdoor activities to protect bones by increasing muscle content, but to avoid too high intensity and excessive amplitude of exercise. Proper sunlight exposure is used to promote bone synthesis. In addition, for people with mild to moderate osteoporosis, in addition to drug intervention, it is also necessary to pay attention to avoid falling, which can cause osteoporotic fractures. In this way, the awareness of osteoporosis can be improved, and the occurrence of osteoporosis can be prevented and avoided in a scientific way as soon as possible, so as to give middle-aged and elderly people a healthy life.