Osteoporosis and Me

Bone health is important, and a chronic condition like MS makes it even more important. Strong bones are crucial to our health, our daily lives, and our overall quality of life. For me, the story is personal.

Osteoporosis does not discriminate. It does happen to little old ladies, walking bent over, who break their hips when they fall. Historically, it's been a normal part of aging in women. However, the truth is that osteoporosis sneaks up on energetic, active people like Sally Field and me. And it sneaked up on 10 million other people in the United States. Wow.

Among those millions are all types of people, mostly women, but men, too. Many of them also have chronic conditions and disabilities, like me. I have MS, and my osteoporosis is severe, described as "off the charts." Each jostle is a new breakage opportunity, and my bones are extra breakable.

Although Osteoporosis is common in women my age, apparently it is more common and more serious when combined with MS. MSers tend to develop osteoporosis sooner, its progress is faster, and it is likely to be more severe than in the average post-menopausal woman.  A Health Care Industry article emphasizes the relationship between MSers and low bone mass density. Limited physical activity and steroids, frequently associated with MS, aggravate the risk.

Bone health is not generally listed as a symptom of multiple sclerosis, but there is a definite, recognizable relationship. MSers are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, and I have to believe that is true for other chronic conditions as well. As I was surfing on Disaboom, I found several posts questioning a relationship with cerebral palsy (CP). It makes sense to me. Osteoporosis develops earlier in MS and maybe other chronic diseases, so we must be vigilant and check our bone mass. It may be lurking already.

The most commonly recommended preventive and treatment strategy is weight-bearing exercise. So all we need to do is walk 20 minutes a day, but for some of us, our awkward gaits and wheelchairs get in the way. Hmmm.

Doctors Bowling and House wrote an article last year on Disaboom about hidden conditions such as osteoporosis when coupled with MS. They pointed out that the problem is not only that MSers are vulnerable, but that health care professionals often overlook it.

The message is take the initiative, ask for a bone scan and follow the recommended diet and vitamins for good bone health - both men and women and even children.  It is true that osteoporosis affects people, mostly women, in later life --

• About 85-90% of adult bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can help to prevent osteoporosis later in life.
• Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis.
• Of the 10 million Americans estimated to have osteoporosis, eight million are women and two million are men.