What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a serious bone disease that causes your bones to weaken and puts them at greater risk of breaking.
The bones in your body are under constant reconstruction, with the removal of old bone cells and placement of new bone cells. As you get older, the rate of construction slows down.
Osteoporosis develops when the removal of your old bone cells outpaces the arrival of new bone cells.
Am I at risk of developing osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis can develop at any age and affects all people. However, women are at greater risk of developing the bone condition because they naturally have smaller bones than men.
Other factors that increase your risk of osteoporosis include:
- Decrease in sex hormones (estrogen in women, testosterone in men)
- Inadequate intake of calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods
- Lack of physical activity
- Smoking
- Family history of osteoporosis
Your risk of developing osteoporosis also increases as you get older.
How is osteoporosis diagnosed?
Established in 1994, the osteoporosis clinic at Burlington Medical Center/Carolina Nuclear Medicine was the first such clinic in the Piedmont area.
At the clinic, Dr. Morayati performs a bone mineral density test called a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to diagnose osteoporosis or your risk of osteoporosis.
The in-office DEXA scan is a quick, noninvasive test that measures the mineral density in your bones. During the X-ray, Dr. Morayati may take pictures of your hips and spine.
In addition to diagnosing osteoporosis or low bone density, which may put you at risk of osteoporosis, he also performs a fracture risk analysis to determine the best treatment to improve bone health.
How is osteoporosis treated?
The goal of your osteoporosis treatment is to prevent you from breaking a bone. Your treatment plan may depend on the results of your fracture risk analysis.
If your risk of breaking a bone over the next 10 years is low, Dr. Morayati may recommend lifestyle changes to improve bone health and prevent fractures, such as:
- Adding calcium and vitamin D supplements
- Doing strength-training exercises
- Wearing low-heel shoes
- Clearing hallways to minimize falls
If your risk of breaking a bone over the next 10 years is high, Dr. Morayati may prescribe medication to improve bone health, such as Prolia® or Reclast®.
No matter your risk, Dr. Morayati schedules regular follow-up appointments to monitor your bone mineralization and adjust your treatment as needed.
To schedule your osteoporosis evaluation, call Burlington Medical Center/Carolina Nuclear Medicine or book an appointment online today.
