Osteoporosis doesn’t just affect older women, but can also impact the bone health of men. Approximately 30 percent of hip fractures occur in men and one in eight men older than 50 will have an osteoporotic fracture, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Increasing your calcium and vitamin D intake can help you avoid osteoporosis.
Identification
Osteoporosis occurs when bones weaken due to depletion of calcium and other essential minerals. Fractures occur more easily when bones are brittle and are most common in the hip, wrist and spine. Women suffer from loss of bone mass after menopause when estrogen levels decline abruptly. Men who develop osteoporosis usually notice symptoms later. Men who are most likely to have osteoporosis are over the age of 75, have a low-body mass index, have lost more than 5 percent of their body weight during the previous four years, currently smoke and are physically inactive, reports the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Causes
Although osteoporosis may occur as a part of aging, other health conditions can contribute to the condition. Potential secondary causes of osteoporosis include lowered testosterone levels, abuse of alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise or activity, gastrointestinal diseases, use of medications to control asthma or diabetes or too much calcium in the urine. Osteoporosis may also occur as a result of taking drugs that suppress the immune system, using anticonvulsant medications, or having such diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or osteogenesis imperfecta. Because men have a higher bone mass than women, loss of bone mass may not be immediately apparent. Osteoporosis can also be inherited. If your father suffered a hip or other type of fracture due to osteoporosis, you may be more likely to develop the condition.
Treatment
Increasing levels of calcium and vitamin D can help improve osteoporosis. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests taking 1,000 to 1,500 mg of calcium per day and 400 to 800 IUs of vitamin D per day. Weight-bearing exercise can help improve both muscle and bone strength. If your doctor determines that you have osteoporosis, she may prescribe a biphosphonate medication that treats osteoporosis by preventing further bone mass loss.
Considerations
If your doctor suspects that taking glucosteroids to treat diabetes or asthma is a secondary cause of your osteoporosis, he may suggest lowering your dosage or using a form of the drug that is administered through the skin. Glucosteroids decrease bone mass, decrease testosterone and reduce calcium absorption in the intestine. If you take glucosteroids, your doctor may recommend that you have a bone mineral density test to determine if there are any changes in your bones.
