Prevent osteoporosis for life

Osteoporosis is an underrated widespread disease: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), osteoporosis is one of the top ten major diseases worldwide; in Germany alone, up to eight million people are affected. Above all, osteoporosis is a woman's problem: 80 percent of women suffer from the systemic disease of the skeletal system, the unbearable pain, annually causes about 400,000 fractures, usually fractures of the femoral neck and vertebral fractures, as well as therapy costs of about nine billion euros in the health system.

"Still, osteoporosis has not arrived in the consciousness of most people until today. Enlightenment and public perception are in demand, because excessive bone loss is not a fate, but a disease that we can successfully prevent in crucial phases of life, "says gynecologist Dr. med. Jürgen Klinghammer, CEO of the GenoGyn medical organization.

In osteoporosis, bones lose their strength and break more easily. (Image: crevis / fotolia.com)

Osteoporosis prophylaxis at the gynecologist? "This may sound unusual at first, but makes medical sense, because orthopedic surgeons usually see the patients at the earliest, when complaints or even only when fractures have occurred. The vital stages of primary prevention of osteoporosis, on the other hand, are accompanied by the gynecologist, "says Dr. med. Klinghammer. Thus, the bone density is built up to about 30 years. After a balance between bone build-up and -down, the continuous decline of skeletal mass predominates after 40 years. Anyone who has reached a maximum starting position can better cope with the sometimes unavoidable dismantling later in life.

This is exactly where primary prevention comes in - even during pregnancy and lactation. "About the fetal programming a calcium deficiency of expectant mother affects the fetus, because the organism of the unborn child needs sufficient calcium and vitamin D for the skeletal structure," says the Cologne gynecologist. Especially for vegan pregnant women and vegans in lactation, among other things, a reduced calcium intake is problematic for the child's bone structure.
In puberty, bone health is often endangered by eating disorders, heavy underweight and overweight, but also extreme competitive sports. Also in this age group about calcium predators such as fast food or phosphate-rich soft drinks should be clarified.

After the menopause, every third woman suffers from osteoporosis, beyond the 70 is affected every second. The main cause is the drop in the estrogen level. GenoGyn gynecologists therefore recommend risk screening at the age of 40 with a detailed history of the disease, a blood test and the so-called DXA bone density measurement as the gold standard of diagnosis. "This enables us to identify patients who already have osteopenia before the menopause, or below average bone density, and provide them with appropriate interdisciplinary treatment," says GenoGyn's CEO. Today, less than a quarter of all osteoporosis diseases are detected early and adequately treated.

Hormone deficiency is the leading cause of osteoporosis, but other diseases or their treatment with certain medications can cause so-called secondary osteoporosis. These include chronic intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, anorexia, thyroid dysfunction, rheumatic-inflammatory diseases, which are often treated with cortisone, which leads to a decrease in bone density. Antidepressants, antiepileptics, cytostatic drugs and aromatase inhibitors from tumor therapy as well as immunosuppressants, which are used after organ transplants, for example, have a bone-damaging effect.
Known risk factors for osteoporosis include age, gender, genetics and an unhealthy lifestyle with malnutrition (underweight and overweight), physical inactivity and alcohol and nicotine consumption.

Prevention and personalized therapy of osteoporosis always include a high-bones diet with sufficient calcium, vitamin D and regular exercise with strength and endurance training. If the disease has already progressed, today predominantly so-called bisphosphonates are prescribed for drug treatment.

"Lifelong prevention is more important than ever," warns GenoGyn board member Dr. Ing. Jürgen Klinghammer. "Due to the demographic development experts, especially in rich industrialized nations, expect a growing number of osteoporotic patients and by 2025 with annual therapy costs in Germany of about eleven billion euros. We need a sense of community for effective primary prevention of osteoporosis, as it can and most importantly by the gynecologist, because our patients represent the largest risk group, which adjusts itself regularly in our practice at almost every age. "Osteoporosis is therefore standard topic on GenoGyn prevention training for gynecologists.