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Normal bone consists
of cortical bone and trabecular bone. |
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Bone is a metabolically
active tissue that is constantly being renewed: "old"
bone is resorbed and replaced by "new" bone. If too much
bone is resorbed or the resorption is too fast, osteoporosis
will result. |
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The result is that cortical
bone becomes increasingly thin and trabecular bone gradually
disappears. Hence, the cavities within the bone becomes
larger and more numerous and osteoporosis results. |
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 Bone
with osteoporosis |
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Characteristics
of Osteoporosis |
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| 1. |
"Silent":
most patients are unaware of osteoporosis until
the first bone fracture occurs. |
| 2. |
It is more common
in females than males: in women, hormone secretion
drops drastically during menopause and this accelerates
bone loss. |
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| 3. |
The incidence
of osteoporosis increases with age. |
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