Osteoporosis is one of the most common chronic bone diseases of the metabolic system. It is characterized by the increased bone fragility. The development of osteoporosis is associated with age. Due to the aging of the general population, osteoporosis is becoming an important public health issue (Sozen et al., 2017). Since falls are the primary cause of osteoporotic fractures, it is crucial to take preventive actions. Older people who had previously experienced a stroke as well as those with decreased mental alertness are specifically predisposed to frequent falls (Sozen et al., 2017). However, researchers believe that decreased falls do not reduce the risk of bone fractures in patients with osteoporosis (Sozen et al., 2017). Therefore, the issue of fractures should be tackled rather than factors associated with frequent falls.

Certain medications can be taken which evidently decrease the risk of fractures. There are two kinds of medication used to treat osteoporosis – antiresorptive and anabolic (Tu et al., 2018). The first type of medicine decreases the level of bone resorption. Such medicine often tackles the production of estrogen and increases body mass (Sozen et al., 2017). Anabolic treatment, on the other hand, is used to increase bone formation (Tu et al., 2018). Similarly, treatment of osteoporosis involves interventions aimed at relieving symptoms of fracture and maintaining normal physical function (Tu et al., 2018). Treatment of osteoporosis is, therefore, focused on multi-level interventions such as the reduction of risk factors in order to avoid the condition in the first place as well as taking care of fracture symptoms.

References

Sozen, T., Ozisik, L., & Calik Basaran, N. (2017). An overview and management of osteoporosis. European Journal of Rheumatology, 4(1), 46–56.

Tu, K. N., Lie, J. D., Wan, C., Cameron, M., Austel, A. G., Nguyen, J. K., Van, K., & Hyun, D. (2018). Osteoporosis: A review of treatment options. P & T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management, 43(2), 92–104.