Telling the Difference Between Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

You will often hear people use the words osteoporosis and osteopenia as referring to the same thing; even qualified medical professionals have been known to do this. There can be a lot of confusion around these two words so we will examine exactly what is meant by each term here.

What is Osteopenia?

If a doctor says that a patient is showing signs of osteopenia it means that their bone density is lower than normal peak bone mineral density. All of us have can have different bone densities so just saying that we have ostepenia is not usually something to become too alarmed about. In fact everyone will get thinner bones as they get older. It is said that having osteopenia puts you at greater risk of developing osteoporosis and some doctors like to prescribe something with the aim of preventing this. Your doctor may also want to keep an eye on your bone density as you get older.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is when your bone density is so low that it puts you at real risks of fractures if you fall. A broken bone, especially a hip bone, can be very dangerous for older people because it puts them on bed-rest and at risk of developing serious problems related to reduced mobility - such as chest infections or ulcers. It is women who have passed through the menopause who are most at risk of developing osteoporosis because they have stopped producing the chemical estrogen; this is needed to get calcium into the bone. Men do develop osteoporosis, but they have a lower risk.

The difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis

Just because you have a result showing that your bone density is lower than what would normally be expected does not meant that you have anything seriously wrong with you. It is worth knowing that you have osteopenia so that your doctor can keep an eye on this. Osteoporosis, on the other hand, means that the low bone density is now a problem that will need to be managed. Those with the condition will need to be very careful to avoid falls.

Sources

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/guides/osteo.htm

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/tc/osteopenia-overview?page=3http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/osteoporosis/osteopenia-osteoporosis-there-difference