About Osteoporosis

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), osteoporosis is currently affecting almost ten million people in the United States alone. Most people know that this condition has to do with fragile bones, but it isn't just a matter of dealing with the nuisance of frequent fractures. Osteoporosis has very serious side effects, and if you aren't treated you could find yourself permanently disabled, in need of major surgery, or disfigured.

Do You Have a Osteoporosis Lawsuit? »

Osteoporosis happens when there is an imbalance between the cells that destroy bone and the cells that rebuild the bones aren't in sync. All parts of your body are continuously changes like this, so that your body can grow, heal, and become stronger. With osteoporosis, the cells in the bones that are destroying other bone cells are either working too quickly or the cells in the bone working to rebuild it aren't working quickly enough. This affects the bone mineral density (BMD). Osteoporosis is diagnosed by measuring the density of the bone and comparing it to the average bone mineral density of a 20-year-old, healthy, average person.

In general, osteoporosis is most common in post-menopausal women. However, it can occur in any age group, as well as in men. Some risk factors for osteoporosis include drinking too much alcohol, smoking, lack of or too much physical activity, low amounts of dietary calcium or vitamin D, exposure to cadmium or lead, and drinking too many soft drinks due to phosphoric acid content. Anyone with too little estrogen (in women) or testosterone (in men) could also be at risk, and there is a genetic predisposition for people of European or Asian descent and people who have family members who have had osteoporosis. Some diseases and disorders have also been linked to osteoporosis. These include rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, Parkinson's disease, Turner syndrome, bulimia, Crohn's disease and anorexia nervosa.

All women aged 65 and up (and younger women who are at a high risk for osteoporosis) should be screened for this disease, as you may not otherwise catch it until you have a very serous fracture. There are a number of medications that can be used to prevent and treat osteoporosis, the most popular of which are bisphosphonate drugs. Doctors most often prescribe alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel) or ibandronate (Boniva). Recently, however, bisphosphonate drugs have come under fire due to studies that show they may be causing serious medical problems like tumors in the esophagus and dead jaw, a condition where the bones in the jaw die, causing exposed bone, infection, and tooth loss.

While most doctors agree that more studies need to be one before condemning Fosamax, which is successfully used by millions of people, if you have certain risk factors, you may not want to choose bisphosphonate drugs. Instead, alternative oral treatments are available, though success rate of these can be questionable.

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If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about all of your options, including the risks that are associated with each. Lawyers are available if you believe you were harmed by using Fosamax or any other type of bisphosphonate medication, and to date, many people have filed Fosamax lawsuit against manufacturer Merck & Co. Talk to a Fosamax lawyer today to learn more about your rights.

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