Why Is Osteoporosis Not Curable?

Osteoporosis, meaning "porous bones," is a disease that causes structural deterioration of the bone tissue and low bone mass. The bones become brittle and weak, making them easier to break. Once this deterioration begins, it cannot be reversed, and treatments are designed to prevent the progression and worsening of the disease.

• Bones need help to stay healthy.

Considerations

• Throughout your lifetime, bone is constantly cycling, with old bone being broken down for new bone to take its place. When you're young, the new bone grows faster than the old bone breaks down, creating more bone mass. In your mid-30s, that reverses, with old bone breaking down faster than it can be replaced.

Cause

• Osteoporosis occurs when the production of new bone during your mid-20s did not add adequate bone mass for a "safety net" of sorts for when you hit your peak bone mass, usually at 35. The less bone density you have to rely on when the old bone starts to break down faster than it can be replaced, the more likely you are to develop osteoporosis.

Risk Factors

• Although anyone can develop osteoporosis, certain factors increase the risk of the disease. These include gender---women are at great risk for developing osteoporosis---increased age and small body size.

Symptoms

• Often called a silent disease because of a general lack of symptoms, osteoporosis may first only be discovered when a seemingly innocent fall or bump causes extreme pain or a bone fracture.

Diagnosis

• In order to properly diagnose osteoporosis, your bone density must be measured. This can be done using a test called dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, which measures the density of the bones in the areas most likely affected by the disease---your spine, hip and wrists.

Prevention and Treatment

• Although osteoporosis cannot be cured once it has begun, it can be prevented from developing in the first place. Adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D can assist in the growth of healthy bone tissue, while nutrition, exercise and medications can help slow the progression of the disease once discovered.