As we all know that osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the skeletal bones, leading to an enhanced risk of fracture. Hip fractures typically occur as a result of a fall. With osteoporosis, hip fractures can occur as a result of trivial slip and fall accidents. These generally heal very slowly or poorly after a surgical repair, because of poor healing of the bone. Osteoporotic bone fractures are responsible for considerable pain, lost workdays, decreased quality of life, and disability.
Up to 30% of patience suffering from hip fracture will require long term nursing home care. Elderly patients can develop pneumonia and blood clots in the leg veins that can travel up to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. This might be due to prolonged bed rest after the hip fracture. Osteoporosis has been linked with an increased risk of death. Some 20% of women with the hip fracture will die in the subsequent year as an indirect result of the fracture. In addition, once a person has experienced the spine fracture due to osteoporosis, he or she is at a very high risk of suffering another such fracture in the next few years. About 20% of postmenopausal women who have already experienced a vertebral fracture, will suffer a new fracture of bone in the following year.
A routine X-ray can reveal osteoporosis of the bone, because the bones already hit by osteoporosis appear much thinner and lighter than normal bones. Unfortunately by the time X-rays can detect osteoporosis, at least 30% of bone has already been lost. In addition, X-rays are not accurate indicators of bone density. Success rate of bone marrow transplant is constantly increasing but, the process is still not free from post surgical complications. Osteoporosis is one such complication which is of common occurrence after a successful bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow transplant in India treatment is done with utmost care and under the supervision of the best doctors across India. Osteoporosis can be diagnosed by using conventional radiography and also by measuring the bone mineral density (BMD).
The dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is one of the most popular method of measuring the bone mineral density. In addition to the detection of abnormal bone mineral density, the diagnosis of osteoporosis requires investigation into potentially modifiable underlying causes. Blood tests can also reveal the BMD. Depending on the likelihood and the intensity of an underlying problem investigations for cancer with metastasis to the bone, multiple myeloma, Cushing’s disease and other above mention causes may be performed. It should still be kept into mind that while osteopenia is considered a lesser degree of bone loss than osteoporosis, it is nevertheless can be of concern when it is associated with other risk factors such as cortisone, rheumatoid arthritis, smoking, steroid usage, family history of osteoporosis etc.
These chances can increase the risk of developing vertebral, hip and other fractures. In this situation osteopenia may require medication as a part of the treatment program. An early detection and treatment of osteoporosis is extremely essential in patients who have had a bone marrow transplant.
