Patients who take osteoporosis drugs for long periods typically are advised to discontinue the drugs temporarily to prevent rare but serious side effects to the jaw and thighs. However, a 2018 study done at the Loyola University Health System in Maywood, IL Medicine study has found that 15.4 percent of patients who take so-called “drug… Continue reading Fifteen Percent of Osteoporosis Patients Who Take “Drug Holidays” Suffer Bone Fractures
Category: Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis-Related Bone Fractures Linked to Air Pollution
Exposure to air pollution is associated with osteoporosis-related loss of bone mineral density and risk of bone fractures, according to a done study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Their findings were published in November 2017 in The Lancet Planetary Health. A release from the university explains that the researchers are… Continue reading Osteoporosis-Related Bone Fractures Linked to Air Pollution
Steroid Hormones Could Hold Clue to Future Osteoporosis Treatment
A group of steroid hormones could provide new insight into the bone loss and deterioration that occurs with aging, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University report. Previous research has shown that the protein histone deacetylase 3, or HDAC3, turns off the genes that encourage the stem cells in our bone marrow… Continue reading Steroid Hormones Could Hold Clue to Future Osteoporosis Treatment
Some Osteoporosis Medicines May Not Be Beneficial Over the Long Term
Women who took bisphosphonates for up to 13 years in an effort to combat osteoporosis had no fewer fractures than women who took the medicines only briefly, research shows. Osteoporosis causes thinning of the bones, loss of bone density, and increasingly fragile bones. This puts people at higher risk for bone fractures. Risk for the… Continue reading Some Osteoporosis Medicines May Not Be Beneficial Over the Long Term
Outwitting the “Silent Thief” of Osteoporosis
In a world first, new Australian research done in October 2016 has revealed that genetic profiling can help predict whether an individual will break a bone because of osteoporosis. The findings, which are from Australia’s globally-recognized Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, are likely to contribute to clinical decision making in the future, bringing us one step… Continue reading Outwitting the “Silent Thief” of Osteoporosis
One-Third of Women Taking Bisphosphonates Remain at Risk for Fracture
More than 53 million Americans age 50 and older, primarily women, have osteoporosis or are at high risk for the condition due to low bone density. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Bone in June 2016 found that approximately a third of women prescribed oral bisphosphonates, the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis treatment, continue to… Continue reading One-Third of Women Taking Bisphosphonates Remain at Risk for Fracture
71% of Hip Fracture Patients Not Told They Have Osteoporosis
More than seven in 10 older adults who suffer hip fractures aren’t told they have the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis, despite the fact that hip fractures nearly always signify the presence of this potentially debilitating condition. That is the finding of research done in May 2016 by physicians atNorthwell Health in Great Neck on Long Island,… Continue reading 71% of Hip Fracture Patients Not Told They Have Osteoporosis
Is Osteoporosis Surgery Better than Medication?
While most cases of osteoporosis are caused by normal aging, another leading cause of the bone-loss disease is a condition called hyperparathyroidism, in which the parathyroid glands release an excessive amount of a hormone that regulates the body’s calcium levels. Doctors commonly treat hyperparathyroidism using a class of prescription drugs called bisphosphonates, including alendronate (marketed… Continue reading Is Osteoporosis Surgery Better than Medication?
Arthritis: What You Need to Know
The word “arthritis” makes many people think of painful, stiff joints. But, there are many kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments. Most types of arthritis are chronic. That means they can go on for a long period of time. Arthritis can attack joints in almost any part of the body. Some types… Continue reading Arthritis: What You Need to Know
Good Bone Health Essential for Independence
Good nutrition can make a difference in your bone health and affect your ability to live an independent life, according to a new scientific review. The conclusion is true no matter what age you are. The review was published in the journal Osteoporosis International by leading bone and nutrition experts, in anticipation of World Osteoporosis… Continue reading Good Bone Health Essential for Independence
Growth Hormone Reduces Risk of Osteoporosis Fractures in Older Women
For years after it was administered, growth hormone continued to reduce the risk of fractures and helped maintain bone density in postmenopausal women who had osteoporosis, according to a study done in August 2015 and published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. A release from the society notes that osteoporosis is… Continue reading Growth Hormone Reduces Risk of Osteoporosis Fractures in Older Women
A Protein Could Help Millions with Osteoporosis
Administering a bone-building protein intravenously stimulates bone formation via the regenerative ability of stem cells, according to a new study by UCLA researchers. The results of the investigation into the protein NELL-1 could one day have an impact on the development of a treatment for osteoporosis, which affects more than 200 million people worldwide, according… Continue reading A Protein Could Help Millions with Osteoporosis
Dental Implants = Better Quality of Life for Women with Osteoporosis
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are at greater risk of losing their teeth. A study done in June 2015 at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland suggests that dental implants may be the treatment with the highest degree of satisfaction. Leena Palomo, associate professor of periodontics and colleagues published their study in… Continue reading Dental Implants = Better Quality of Life for Women with Osteoporosis
Hip Fractures Caused by Falls, Not Osteoporosis
Anti-osteoporotic medication is not an effective means for preventing hip fractures among the elderly, according to a study done by an international research group and published in May 2015 in the BMJ. A release from the University of Helsinki in Finland notes that proximal femoral fractures (i.e., hip fractures) occur in the world at a… Continue reading Hip Fractures Caused by Falls, Not Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis Test Being Given Too Often
Many women who get a common osteoporosis screening test don’t need it. And many women who do need it don’t get it, according to researchers. A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that screening rates increased sharply among women at age 50, despite guidelines suggesting screening at age 65 unless risk… Continue reading Osteoporosis Test Being Given Too Often
Men Far Less Likely to Prevent & Screen for Osteoporosis
While the consequences of osteoporosis are worse in men than women – including death – older males are far less likely to take preventive measures against the potentially devastating bone-thinning disease or accept recommendations for screening, according to research done by North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System geriatricians and presented at The American Geriatrics… Continue reading Men Far Less Likely to Prevent & Screen for Osteoporosis
Bone Density Improved with Zoledronic Acid
A single intravenous dose of the osteoporosis drug zoledronic acid improved bone mineral density in a group of frail elderly women living in nursing homes and long-term-care facilities, according to an article published online in April 2015 by JAMA Internal Medicine. A release from the publisher notes that nearly two million frail elderly Americans live… Continue reading Bone Density Improved with Zoledronic Acid
Standardizing Criteria for Age-Related Muscle Loss
The term “sarcopenia”, from the Greek “sarco” meaning flesh and “penia” meaning deficiency, is most often used to describe age-related loss in muscle mass and strength, and it is commonly considered analogous to osteoporosis. Yet unlike osteoporosis, which can be diagnosed based on widely accepted clinical criteria, sarcopenia is not recognized as a clinical condition… Continue reading Standardizing Criteria for Age-Related Muscle Loss