Risk factors, means of prevention ... Everything you need to know about osteoporosis

It is a disease that affects the elderly, and more particularly women, from menopause.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative skeletal disease characterized by a lack of calcium and abnormalities in bone microarchitecture.

What are the risk factors?

How to detect it?

What treatments to treat it?

And how to prevent the onset of the disease?

Professor Bernard Cortet, rheumatologist at Lille University Hospital and president of the group for research and information on osteoporosis (Grio), was the guest of Europe 1, Wednesday, to discuss this disease which causes sometimes fatal fractures.

What risk factors?

For this disease, "we can make the analogy with a crane", explains Professor Bernard Cortet.

"A large structure, the outer membrane of the bones, equivalent to the beams of the crane, will thin during osteoporosis and perforate; then the bony spans, which are like horizontal spans, will also be thinner and puncture. "

These two elements will help to weaken the skeleton and increase the risk of fracture.

This phenomenon mainly affects women who, enduring menopause from the age of 50, see their estrogen level drop.

However, these sex hormones are beneficial for good bone health.

Thus, from 30 to 40% of women today are affected by osteoporosis, against 15% of men.

Some other risk factors are also known.

Among them, genetics, but also tobacco and alcohol, and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease.

Certain drug treatments can also represent risk factors, such as cortisone and certain antidepressants.

>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here

How to detect it?

Like everything that makes up the human body, bone is living tissue.

It is therefore constantly renewed and there is thus constantly a destruction of tissues which takes place which will be balanced by the construction of new tissues.

In the case of osteoporosis, the relationship is out of balance and there is more destruction than construction, leading to bone fragility and fractures.

The disease mainly affects the vertebrae, pelvis, hips and humerus (wrist).

Certain bones are never affected, such as the skull, fingers and toes.

In the age group concerned, "there are around 400,000 fragility fractures each year, some of which are at the origin of a certain death rate higher than the expected rate given the age of the population at which we are interested ", explains Professor Bernard Cortet, who specifies that this rate is 20 to 30% higher.

"A fracture is never trivial," warns the rheumatologist.

Indeed, if the wrist fracture is not serious as such, he continues, "we are at risk of having, a few years later, a fracture of the vertebrae or a fracture of the hip" if the bone density is low.

Hence the need to detect the disease as early as possible thanks to bone densitometry.

This examination, reliable and reimbursed by the Health Insurance, "makes it possible to measure the calcium content of the skeleton which is very strongly correlated with the probability of seeing a fracture appear", explains Professor Bernard Cortet.

Before that, warning signs can put on the trail of osteoporosis.

Among them, pain in the spine and a consequent loss of size (more than 4 cm) compared to its usual size.

How to prevent it?

As far as prevention is concerned, Professor Bernard Cortet affirms it: if tobacco and alcohol play a significant role, diet is also important.

According to him, two main elements must be taken into account.

First, calcium and in particular dairy products (hard cheeses) at a rate of 1g of calcium per day (i.e. 1 liter of milk, or 0mg of yogurt).

But also mineral waters, also rich in calcium.

"With a satisfactory diet and one of these mineral waters, we can manage to correct the situation", assures the rheumatologist. 

Also, in addition to the nutritional aspects, physical activity is beneficial, in particular load-bearing activities (walking, Nordic walking, running, squash, tennis, etc.).