 Posted 10/12/2009 02:57:45
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Hi,
Is there anything out there in terms of advice, data, or treatment for relatively young women with OP?
Almost all of the data and health issues address the more common OP in the post-menopausal over 50's but it would seem to me (a medical scientist, but not in the OP field) that OP in the young is clinically different to that of older women, both from a manifestation and treatment point of view.
My partner, post-menopausal in her early thirties, has been diagnosed with OP (t-score -2.9) and there doesn't seem to be a lot of clinical info about this age group out there. In particular...
- In early/mid thirties, having just begun exercise, HRT and actonel is it possible/likely to improve the BMD and fracture risk significantly and clinically? Surely someone of this age ought to be able to improve bone densiy - rather than just prevent it getting worse (or am I a hopeless optimist? ).
- Despite a t-score of -2.9, she's not breaking stuff! A week before her diagnosis, I 'airplaned' her in a park (she's only small...) and then dropped her... nothing broke! From the small bits of info I can find, a 'young bone' wont break like an old bone, even with a very low BMD. I presume there is some truth to this as the fracture risk calculator doesn't even allow me to put in an age of 35 years old.
Any info on OP for the young-ish adult would be very helpful.
thanks,
matt
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Posted 10/12/2009 12:07:10
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| Dear Matt, Thank you for your post. You are right, most of the information you find relates to a much older age group than your partner. If you have been researching fracture risk tools you will have realised that there is much more to our risk of fracture than just bone density. Age has a huge impact on fracture risk and most fracture assessment tools only have data to support risk in the over 40’s. The older we are the more likely we are to fracture basically because bone quality is reduced. Therefore in our mid thirties, even if you have osteoporosis, bone quality should be good and fracture risk is lower. This is probably why you were able to drop your partner without causing her an injury!! The HRT she is taking will offer bone protection because it is replacing the oestrogen she has lost as a result of her early menopause. Certainly this is a good way to protect her from further bone density loss and she will probably continue with this until she reaches 50 or so which is the average age for the menopause. Risedronate (Actonel) is a treatment for osteoporosis that aims to reduce fracture risk and should be used when her risk of fracture is high. Some consultants may feel that this is not needed at this time if she is fit and well but it could be that there are other aspects to her medical history that increase her risk hence her doctor has prescribed it. A combination of exercise, healthy eating and her HRT should help to stabilise her bone density but it would be difficult to predict if/how much she might improve her bone density. If she has not seen a consultant about her osteoporosis it may be worth her asking to see someone as they can be very helpful in assessing risk in younger people. The charity’s booklet ‘All About Osteoporosis’ has more information on diet and exercise for good bone health. It can be downloaded free of charge by clicking on this link and completing the form. (If you have already registered with the charities website the link will take you straight to the book). I hope this helps. Please phone the helpline if you would like to discuss this further as some of your questions are quite complex. Best Wishes
Best wishesHelpline Nurses
National Osteoporosis Society
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