Osteoporosis is known as a Degenerative Disease

Question: What is Osteoporosis? Answer: Osteoporosis is known as a degenerative disease that decrements the density of the bone material. The outcome of it is structural weakening making the bones brittle. It is common in old women, and the one with insufficient diets. It affects about 25% women who are above 60 years and about 4000 people are killed in Australia because of these hip fractures (Nelson 2000, p4). Osteoporosis affects about 1.2 million Australians and out of these many didnt know they have osteoporosis. Without interventions the number may increase 3 million by the end of 2012. Additionally there are about 6.3 million people having osteopenia that is thin bones. In this paper the findings about the osteoporosis, the prevention methods of disease, the occurrence of osteoporosis among the Australian population is given in detail. Two types of osteoporosis occur in the individuals. One is Type I that occurs in woman in late age due to drop in estrogen levels which occurs due to menopause and affects the spongy bones. Second is Type II that increases with the increase in age, and affects spongy as well as compact bone. It occurs both in males and females (Anderson 2003, p152). The risk factors for osteoporosis are improper nutrition, Low physical activity, low vitamin D intake low calcium intake and low exercises. According to the Geelong osteoporosis study in Australia 87% of female who are 55 years or more than that have low calcium intakes that is below the optimal level. According to a survey in Australian population the major fractures occur in the Hip and pelvis that is about 40.5% and the wrist and forearm that is about 17.1% (Eismen et al, 2007). The Australian government is doing a lot and performing various researches to prevent osteoporosis. In 2011 Osteoporosis Australia Summit was organized aiming to build healthy bones throughout the life (Krisfield, 2005). It was develop information and recommendations about calcium, vitamin D and exercises to build up health bones in children, adults and old ones. It was seen in a survey that in 2011-12 the occurrence was about 15% in women and 3% of Australians, among them the ones aged above 50 were the major sufferers. All of these strategies has lessen the number to a certain extent from last ten years. The prevalence strategies include providing proper nutrition, providing pre hospital care, providing free exercise classes and spreading education to safe the individuals from the disease. In the hospitals the government has appointed lot of GPs to treat the patients, the facilities like medications, prescriptions, surgeries has been increased to safe the lives of the Australian po pulation. Summing up, osteoporosis has become a great burden to Australian population. Many researches are performed in past and still many are being performed to safeguard the one who are the victims of osteoporosis and the ones who are not by providing prevention methods and making aware them about the risk factors. References Anderson M A 2003,Caring for older adults holistically, 3rdEdn, F.A. Davis Company, USA. Center JR, Bliuc D, Nguyen TV Eisman JA 2007. Risk of subsequent fracture after low-trauma fracture in men and women. Journal of American Medical Association 297:38794 Draper G, Turrell G, Oldenburg B 2005. Health inequalities in Australia: mortality. Health inequalities monitoring series no.1. Cat. no. PHE 55. Canberra: Queensland University of Technology and AIHW. International Osteoporosis Foundation Bone Health n.d., Pathophysiology: Biological Causes of Osteoporosis, International Osteoporosis Foundation, accessed 31May 2012 www.iofbonehealth.org/bonehealth/pathophysiology-biological-causes-osteoporosis Kreisfeld R Harrison J 2005. Injury deaths, Australia, 1999. Cat. no. INJCAT 67. Canberra: AIHW. Nelson M E, Wernick S 2000,Strong Women, Strong Bones,Lotian Books, South Melbourne, Victoria