Introduction
Osteoporosis, a preventable and treatable disease, affects both men and women in the geriatric population. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases, osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.1 Geriatric patients are more at risk of developing osteoporosis due to increased age and a decrease in bone density, therefore treatment in this population is of the utmost importance because the disease’s associated fractures is considered essential to the maintenance of health, quality of life, and independence in the elderly population.2 This paper will focus on how to efficiently treat and manage osteoporosis in the geriatric population.
Epidemiology
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) reported that 10.2 million adults have osteoporosis and another 43.4 million have low bone mass, more than one-half of the total U.S. adult population is currently affected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the morbidity of men and women, 4% and 16% respectively, of 50 years of age and over had osteoporosis of the femur neck or lumbar. Regarding hospital inpatient care, there were 306,000 patients with hip (neck or femur) fractures that were first-listed diagnosis with an average length stay of 5.8 days.3 In addition to affecting …show more content…
Signs and symptoms of osteoporosis include back pain, which is often caused by a collapsed or fractured vertebra, a reduction in height overtime, a deformed posture or kyphosis, and a fracture that can occur more effortlessly than expected.5 People often do not realize they have osteoporosis until something drastic occurs such as a sudden strain, bump, or fall.
Osteoporosis, a preventable and treatable disease, affects both men and women in the geriatric population. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases, osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.1 Geriatric patients are more at risk of developing osteoporosis due to increased age and a decrease in bone density, therefore treatment in this population is of the utmost importance because the disease’s associated fractures is considered essential to the maintenance of health, quality of life, and independence in the elderly population.2 This paper will focus on how to efficiently treat and manage osteoporosis in the geriatric population.
Epidemiology
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) reported that 10.2 million adults have osteoporosis and another 43.4 million have low bone mass, more than one-half of the total U.S. adult population is currently affected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the morbidity of men and women, 4% and 16% respectively, of 50 years of age and over had osteoporosis of the femur neck or lumbar. Regarding hospital inpatient care, there were 306,000 patients with hip (neck or femur) fractures that were first-listed diagnosis with an average length stay of 5.8 days.3 In addition to affecting …show more content…
Signs and symptoms of osteoporosis include back pain, which is often caused by a collapsed or fractured vertebra, a reduction in height overtime, a deformed posture or kyphosis, and a fracture that can occur more effortlessly than expected.5 People often do not realize they have osteoporosis until something drastic occurs such as a sudden strain, bump, or fall.