The Incredible Shrinking Woman Osteoporosis is the most comm…
The Incredible Shrinking Woman Osteoporosis is the most common bone weakening condition of middle-age and older people. The problem is one of decreased bone mass and only indirectly related to calcium absorption or metabolism. Osteoporosis disproportionately affects women, and can result in long bone fractures and compression of the vertebral bodies of the spine. The spinal column changes result in one of the most common complaints in woman with this condition; loss of height. Mrs. JG is a 56 year-old independent businesswoman, owner of a woman’s clothing and accessories shop, who went through menopause three years ago. Because of the nature of her business, she frequently tries on clothes and knows her size to the inch. She’s become convinced that she is shrinking. She observes that her leg-length and inseam have not changed, but believes that her torso is shorter by at least an inch and a half. Osteoporosis Read the report and answer questions 1, 2, and 3. Indeed, when Mrs. JG visited her doctor, her measured height was exactly an inch and a half less than it had been the year before. Osteoporosis has weakened her vertebrae and each vertebra has collapsed a little. The combined effect is that her torso has compressed significantly and she is indeed shorter. Although most noticeable in the spine, osteoporosis affects all of her bones. The loss of bone mass throughout her skeleton, and thus weakening of the bones, increases the risk of fractures. Fractures of the femur, the long bone of our thigh, are particularly common. Most of us add to our bone mass until about the age of 35. While we are young adults, the rate of bone growth and absorption are closely matched, or even slightly in favor of bone building. After 35, and especially following menopause in women, there is a slight tipping of the scales away from bone growth (osteoblastic activity), and toward bone resorption (osteoclastic activity). After 35, we all lose about 0.7% of bone mass each year. Although the difference may seem minimal, in people with osteoporosis that fraction of a percent loss is all it takes. Over a period of several years, the unremitting imbalance leads to weakened bones. The disease of osteoporosis is essentially an exaggeration of the expected age-related bone loss that we all experience. Although the bone of someone with advanced osteoporosis appears “moth-eaten” and diminished, the chemical composition is no different from healthy, non-osteoporotic bone. Instead, the increased fractures and weakened bones of people with osteoporosis is a result of decreased bone quantity. 1) Physically active people with good nutrition will begin to lose bone mass at age _____.
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