Osteoporosis Fractures More Common Now
July 30, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
The number of bone fractures due to osteoporosis is rising dramatically in the United States – resulting in a hospitalization rate due to such fractures up 55% from 1995 to 2006.
Osteoporosis, thinning of the bones, affects approximately 10 million Americans. It’s a silent disease, one you don’t know you have until you break a bone, likely from a very innocent and not hard fall. More women get osteoporosis than men, because being post-menopausal increases your risk of developing it. However, men can easily fall into the category of higher risk if they’re of slim build, take corticosteroids for health issues, alcohol abuse, and so on.
According to this article, Osteoporosis-linked Fractures Have Risen Dramatically,
[F]ractures associated with osteoporosis:
- Accounted for one-fourth of the roughly 1 million hospitalizations in 2006 of patients with osteoporosis.
- Cost hospitals $2.4 billion in 2006.
- Caused women to be six times more likely to be hospitalized than men.
- Involved mostly older patients: 90 percent of hospitalizations were for age 65 and older and 37 percent for patients age 85 and older.
- Were highest in the Midwest (107 per 100,000 people) and lowest in the West (68 per 100,000 people).
Do you have osteoporosis?
~~~~
Image: iStock.com
I think its the decline in the nutritional value of the typical American diet is behind this. The same stats just aren’t found in Japan — and why? Totally different diet. Rich in vegetables plus fish, soy, and… little dairy. The more I read about it, the more I think it comes down to not just calcium, but host of other nutrients. We are so focused on milk and dairy in this country, but what about all the other necessary bone-building vitamins and minerals? Here is a list of 20 key bone-building nutrients — an overview
The problem is that milk is a poor source of calcium. We are eating less and less of the good sources of calcium like leafy green vegetables and we are paying the price.