Osteoporosis – honey, did I shrink?

- Osteoporosis, also known as bone atrophy, is the most common bone disease among the elderly. The main effects of osteoporosis are a reduction of bone substance and the decrease of bone mineral density.

How does osteoporosis arise?

Human bones are a complex framework of the body, that are constantly reconstructed during one's lifetime. There is usually a very finely regulated balance between bone buildup and reduction. Up until adulthood, the bone buildup is higher. A human will reach their bone mass peak between 25 and 30 years of age. After this, the bone balance shifts and the density decreases by approximately 1% per year. Under certain circumstances, the bone reduction can be facilitated and osteoporosis can develop. Risk factors include old age, genetic predisposition, increased alcohol and nicotine intake, and the consumption of certain medicines, such as cortisol. Further risk factors include long-term immobilisation and calcium or vitamin D deficiencies.

Hormones play an important role in bone metabolism. Estrogen has an anti-osteoporotic effect, therefore many women are affected by osteoporosis shortly after menopause, when their estrogen levels are low.

The diagnosis of osteoporosis can be made using conventional radiography, computer tomography or by measuring bone mineral density. These methods use x-rays to analyze the bone structure. A simple body height measurement can be useful for giving insights into an osteoporosis patient’s status. A decrease in body height, for example, can indicate broken bones within the vertebral body. These injuries can remain unnoticed for long periods of time before emitting any pain. By way of regularly checking the patient’s body height, pathological changes can be detected and a diagnosis can be introduced early on.

When every millimeter counts.

When measuring a patient’s body height, every millimeter is of great importance. It is best to use floor or wall-mounted appliances. As a leading producer of measuring and weighing systems, seca offers a large range of products for various means of taking measurements. All appliances are renowned for their easy handling and high precision, and all systems take measurements in millimeters. To save space, you can choose the wall-mounted measuring bars seca 216 and seca 222. If measuring has to take place in various places, seca offers two mobile stadiometers – the seca 213 and seca 217. The premium segment offers two appliance models for higher demands: the seca 274 and seca 264 are precise length measuring systems that are especially useful for their larger measuring scale. Both appliances are equipped with a digital display, enabling a quick data review. To optimize the working processes, these models are able to connect wirelessly via the seca 360° wireless technology, transmitting the measuring data to any computer or seca-appliance nearby. Due to this technology, data will no longer get lost or transmitted incorrectly. The data can also easily be transferred into an existing patient management system (PMS).

Picture: 1. seca 216  2. seca 222  3. seca 213  4. seca 217  5. seca 274  6. seca 264

If osteoporosis is diagnosed, there are a number of therapy options, which have positive effects in regard to disease development. The standard therapy incorporates an enhanced supply of calcium and vitamin D, regular body activity, a pain therapy and fall prevention for elderly people. Women can be given estrogen, or medicine which has similar effects as estrogen. The bone metabolism can be directly influenced through medication as well. By combining therapeutic measures, the bone mineral density decay can be delayed and fracture risks can be significantly decreased.

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