Osteoporosis cases on rise among youth

24 October, 2012

On the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day, the doctors say that the threshold age limit of osteoporosis, which used to be 50 to 60 years has shifted downwards and now, the youth in the society are also suffering from the problem.

OSTEOPOROSIS AFFECTS the bones in the human body; it is characterized by weak and fragile bones. People suffering from osteoporosis are at a high risk of getting fractures in the hip, spine and wrist. It is a silent kind of disease; one will never come to know that he/she is suffering from this disease till they break a bone.

Osteoporosis can be caused due to an imbalance between the formation of a new bone and the resorption of the older one. The body requires calcium and phosphate for the formation of bones and during the adulthood the body uses both of these minerals to produce bones. The bone also acts as a reservoir for calcium in the body.

The calcium is used for many other functions in the body like, it is required for the functioning of brain, heart and many other essential organs in the body and it is also required to maintain the blood-calcium level in the bloodstream. So, a proper amount of calcium should be supplied to the body through the diet.

The symptoms of osteoporosis develop very slowly; it may take several months to several years. The early symptoms may include difficulty in standing, joint pains and difficulty in sitting in an upright position. The risk factors that can trigger the occurrence of the disease are sex, vertigo, HIV, gastric cancer, family history, ethnicity, estrogen exposure, anorexia, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, thyroid hormone and smoking.

A study says that the threshold age limit of osteoporosis which used to be 50 to 60 years has shifted downwards and now the youth in the society are also suffering from the problem of osteoporosis. The reason behind this is the sedentary lifestyle and a drastic decrease in Vitamin D levels in the body.

This problem is mainly noticed in the IT employees who have a sedentary lifestyle. The surprising thing in the study is that in Kerala where you have a plenty of sunlight, many persons suffer from the deficiency of vitamin D. Osteoporosis has socio-economic implications too.