Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

• Decrease in bone matrix
• Mineralization is preserved

What is osteomalacia?

• Faulty mineralization of osteoid tissue (inadequate availability of phosphorus and calcium)

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?

Risk factors for osteoporosis include:

• Age
• Long term use of steroids
• Smoking

How do patients with osteoporosis present or when would you suspect osteoporosis?

• Loss of height with aging
• Kyphosis with aging
  • Asymptomatic
• Compression fractures of vertebra
• Be suspicious of osteoporosis in a patient
  • Any fracture after age 40
  • Adult weighing less than 125 lbs
  • Fracture of wrist, spine or hip in first-degree relative after age 50

Which is the imaging procedure of choice in a suspected case of osteoporosis?

• Plain radiographs
• CT
• Bone mineral density measurements

What are the radiological findings of osteoporosis in plain radiographs?

• Thinning of the cortex
  • Periarticular regions demonstrate early changes
• Decrease in trabeculae
• Vertebrae
  • Decrease in radio density
  • Biconcave shape
  • Compression fractures

Osteoporosis Compression fracture of spine

Check the Family Medicine Module for prophylactic screening.