OUTLINE - Notre Dame University

DR. S. SAGHIEH
ON
OSTEOPOROSIS
REPORT BY DR. NAJAT YAHIA
O n January 16 th , 2003, the Department of Sciences invited
Dr. S. Saghieh. M.D. “Orthopedic Division, Section
of Limb Lengthening & Reconstruction-AUB-MC” to give a
lecture about osteoporosis. This is a brief summary of his
talk.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized
by low bone mass and microarchitectural
deterioration of bone tissue
leading to increased bone fragility
and a consequent increase in fracture
risk. Bone is a living growing
tissue. It is mostly made of collagen
and calcium phosphate. More than
99% of the body's calcium is contained
in the bones and teeth. The
remaining 1% is found in the blood.
There are two types of bone: compact
and spongy. Each bone in the
body has both types of bone in different
amounts. The first signs of
osteoporosis are seen in bones that
have a lot of spongy bone: the hip,
spine, and wrist bones. As the structural
integrity of trabecular bone is
impaired and the cortical bone
becomes more porous and thinner,
the bone becomes weaker and more
likely to fracture.
Throughout lifetime, old bone is
removed (resorption) and new bone
is added to the skeleton (formation).
Bone formation continues in this
way at a pace faster than resorption
until peak bone mass (maximum
bone density and strength) is
reached around age 30.
After age 30, bone resorption slowly
begins to exceed bone formation.
Osteoporosis develops when bone
resorption occurs too quickly or if
replacement occurs too slowly.
Moreover, osteoporosis is more likely
to develop if the bone density did
not reach the optimal bone mass
during the bone-building years. In
addition, bone loss is most rapid in
the first few years after menopause
but persists into the postmenopausal
years.
In the USA, about 21% of postmenopausal
women have osteoporosis,
and about 16% have had a
fracture. In women older than 80,
about 40% have experienced a fracture
of the hip, vertebra, arm, or
pelvis.
Osteoporosis is considered a "silent
disease" because bone loss occurs
without symptoms. People may not
know that they have osteoporosis
Dr. Saghieh illustrates his talk.
until their bones become so weak
that a sudden strain, bump, or fall
causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse.
Risk factors of osteoporosis include:
➢ Weight below healthy range.
➢ A diet low in calcium and vitamin
D.
➢ Sedentary lifestyle.
➢ Low hormone levels associated
with menopause.
➢ Medicines such as corticosteroids
and certain medicines for
seizures or high blood pressure.
➢ Cigarette smoking.
➢ Excess alcohol intake.
For diagnosis, there are several criteria
to consider in the light of clinical
evaluation, medical history, risk factor
assessment tests, bone mineral
density (BMD) testing, physical
examination, DXA diagnosis and
other laboratory tests. Screening
bone density tests carry no physical
risks and screening of patients is
important in order to –
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