I would just like to ask , if Osteopenia always goes on to osteoporosis? I’ve recently discovered this site after years of asking questions on the thyroid one .
I have been taking thyroxine 75 for 18 years,, I am 61 and went through the menopause at 47 with no HRT.
I had a Dexa scan 18 months ago and it revealed osteopenia in hips spine . ,, my sister had one too she was told osteoporosis in spine ,
Can I arrest it ,,I’m taking vitamins and walk a lot
It's normal to lose bone density as we age so, in theory, osteopenia will eventually turn into osteoporosis. However, there are things you can do to slow or halt the decline, and you're in a great position to only have osteopenia at age 61. If you're able to exercise safely, high impact exercise is one of the best things you can do for your bones - that means things like hopping, skipping, jumping, jogging, using weights and resistance bands. Start slowly and gently and build up gradually, but if you've had a fragility fracture, do make sure you get professional advice about what is safe for you. Any kind of weight-bearing exercise (swimming and cycling don't count) is helpful, but the higher the impact the better. In addition, make sure you have a healthy diet that includes plenty of calcium, magnesium and protein, all of which are important for bone health, keeping sugar, caffeine and alcohol intake low. Supplements play a part too. Ideally your blood D level should be at least 75nmol/litre (30ng/ml), but preferably 100nmol/litre (40ng/ml), so take enough supplement to maintain that. Calcium is best from diet, with Vit K2-MK7 or K2-MK4 to help direct it to your bones. Many people also supplement magnesium, boron, zinc and vitamin C, some take silica. It's best to add one supplement at a time, so you can be sure that each agrees with you (not everyone can tolerate magnesium, for example).
Very good advice on diet, exercise and vitamins and minerals from Met00. We all lose bone density as we age. I have a family history of it but it wasn’t helped by being given steroids for inflammatory arthritis, having an overactive thyroid and a few other things of my own.
It probably sounds awful to say you are lucky but I really wish I’d been ‘discovered’ while I still had osteopenia and would have been able to work on all the things Met00 has mentioned. Alas that was not to be - so I’m just trying to do all of those things to stay as I am and not get too bad.
If you haven’t done so already there are lots of good books about osteoporosis out there that you could read, I’m a great believer in learning as much as I can about any medical condition I have. I bought several books that I liked the look of second hand from Amazon, I also like Margaret Martin’s book Exercise for Osteoporosis and her Melioguide website, it gives lots of advice and also tells you what exercises NOT to do. I’ve got a couple of her exercise DVDs and do them. I also do physio led Pilates with a very good teacher who has a lot of knowledge about dealing with people with osteoporosis and I do Nordic walking with poles - they seem to support your body better and make walking much easier as well as giving you whole body exercise.
The ROS do some very good leaflets about diet - especially how to boost your vitamin D and calcium and also about exercise.
Thankyou for your reply ,, yes I need to read more and take control ,,, not all downhill🤞
I started with t-score of -2 and within a year had changed that to -1.6 without the use of medication. Same DXA machine.
Great advise from Met00 and Fruitandnutcase. However be watchful of the K2 if you are on blood thinners. Also as osteoporosis can be caused by primary hyperPARAthyrodism and can can be improved following surgery. Have your GP check your calcium, parathyroid hormone and vit d. If calcium and parathyroid hormone levels are elevated and vit d is low theres a good chance yoh have hyperparathyroidism caused by a adenoma on one or two of the 4 parathyroid glands or all 4 are over producing parathyroid hormone something called hyperplasia. Hyperparathyroidism causes the bones to consistently release calcium into your blood leading to weakening of the bones and depositing calcium into other organs leading to osteoporosis or kidney stones or both. Your GP needs to test the above from the same blood draw. Have a look ay hyperparathyroidukaction4change. Sorry to be so long winded but i have osteoporosis due to this insidious disease which many in the medical profession struggle to diagnose ...
Thankyou for your reply , I’m due a blood test soon for thyroid levels I will see if they will check what you suggested ,,, it’s such a struggle getting Dr to do full thyroid check so don’t hold out a lot of hope ,, I often pay for a medi check private ,, do they do parathyroid ? Regards Val
Remember its the parathyroid they are 4 little glands that sit either side of your thyroid. They control hoe much calcium is in the blood a bit like a thermostat. If your body needs calcium the parathyroid glands release calcium from the bones. When enough calcium has been released the parathyroid glands switch off This goes on all day everyday. However if the parathyroid glands are faulty they dont tell the bones to stop releasing calcium which leads over time to hypercalcemia
and means your bones lose density and could lead to calcium deposits in organs such as the kidneys and possibly in the heart leading to kidney stones heart attacks strokes or worse. Good luck
Cappuccinobaby is completely right. The parathyroid glands are called that simply because of their position in the body, next to the thyroid. Checking them should be part of any work-up to determine "secondary causes of osteoporosis".
Hello,
On a positive note, I was diagnosed with osteopenia in 2008 aged 57 following a stress fracture of my right fibula and after treatment with Alendronic Acid for 4 years recorded a normal bone scan.
I have suffered from RD for 46 years and have had vast amounts of steroids over the years. My mobility is severely restricted, right ankle replacement, left ankle fusion, left knee replacement and right hip replacement. So was hardly surprised at the diagnosis. Over the years have used a wheelchair as I cannot walk very far so exercise is not possible.
The answer is yes, osteoporosis is not inevitable. Follow everyone’s advice re exercise and diet but also have treatment if it is recommended. Best wishes.
Pam
Thankyou for your kind reply ,, I am due a thyroid blood test soon ,, only do once a year ! Yes I’m sure that is the case ,, my sister also takes thyroxine ,, has been very difficult to balance ,, I’m sure that has sadly contributed to osteoporosis at 53 !
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