Osteoporosis is a bone disease marked by brittle and fragile bones. In this assignment, you will explore this disease in more detail using the scenario below.

Scenario:
During a recent visit with a female relative, the relative informs you that she has been diagnosed with osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis. In order to help your relative, you decide to research this disease further.

To complete this assignment, do the following:

  1. Research this disease using a minimum of 2 sources. You can use your textbook for one of the sources. Choose the remaining source(s) from the GALE Virtual Reference Library provided on the Structure and Function of the Human Body library guide page.
  2. In a minimum of 2 pages (not counting the references page), address the following:
    • Explain how osteoporosis develops and the potential causes.
    • Describe the ways that your relative can prevent the onset of osteoporosis.

Solution Preview

Osteoporosis

Introduction

Black and Rosen (2016) opine that osteoporosis is a health condition that results in the weakening of bones and hence becoming fragile. The health condition develops over the past many years and one can be diagnosed with the condition after they have an impact of fall. The condition results in injuries such as the hip fractures and wrist fractures. According to Carli et al. (2016), an individual suffering from osteoporosis may not experience any pain before one gets a fracture and hence the initial sign of the health condition is a fracture. The common signs of the health condition include having back pain that results from a fracture, the loss of weight, having a stooped posture, and fracture of bones. This essay explores the health condition in detail using a scenario of a visit by a female relative.

How osteoporosis develops

The process of development of osteoporosis takes four phases. The initial stage occurs when one is around 30 to 35 years at the time that one has the same rate of breaking down and building of bones. During this stage, the health condition does not have any physical signs. The second stage arises after one is 35 years of age and the breaking down of bones of an individual are faster than the process of building up bones. At this stage, there are no specific signs of the condition but at this stage, the condition can be detected (Ramírez et al., 2018).

The third stage of osteoporosis takes place when one is between 45 and 55 years of age and at this stage, the bones become thin and may end up breaking as a result of stress. Typically, the bones at this stage cannot stand much stress and the diagnosis of the condition can be found at this stage. The last stage of the health condition arises with the rise in the fractures and pain and may even result in causing a disability. At this stage, there are chances of deformities being seen….

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