BE WELL
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS WRITTEN BY JACKIE WOODS / PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
When it comes to our health, we often hear about illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, but not much about osteoporosis. But osteoporosis is prevalent in America with 10 million people living with the disease, and 80 percent of them are women (according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation).
So who is most at risk for developing osteoporosis? Anyone can develop the disease, but females, older adults, people of white or Asian descent, and those with a small stature are at increased risk. Some medical conditions such as celiac disease, IBD, kidney disease, Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can also increase your risk.
“It is estimated that one in two women and one in four men older than 50 years of age will someday sustain a fracture due to osteoporosis,” says Paul Cowan, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who treats patients at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. “The disease is also hereditary, so a family history of osteoporosis or fragility fractures
increases a person’s risk for becoming osteoporotic.” We don’t usually think of osteoporosis as life-threatening like cancer, but those who suffer complications like hip fractures from the disease are sometimes not able to recover. According to Dr. Cowan, studies have
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SIMPLYkc MAGAZINE
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AUGUST 2021
