World Osteoporosis Day: Osteoporosis is a Family Affair
World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) is October 20. It’s a great time to educate yourself about the disease by learning from experts and those living with the condition about the critical need to help protect your bones from potentially disabling and life-threatening fractures.
In the U.S., osteoporosis causes an estimated two million broken bones annually. About half of all women and a quarter of men over the age of 50 will break a bone in their lifetime due to the disease. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to prevent and treat it.
Two WOD 2020 topics focus on how osteoporosis is a family affair and how it can affect multiple generations. We recently spoke with the impressive mother-daughter team of Sheila J. and Dr. Andrea Singer. Both ladies shared their unique experiences, thoughts, and wisdom on what’s often referred to as a “silent disease” and how, once diagnosed, it’s possible to “enjoy life” while living with the condition.
World Osteoporosis Day
WOD is far from a one-day event. In fact, the annual theme kicks off a year-long campaign focused on raising global awareness of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of osteoporosis. With a goal of making the disease and fracture prevention a worldwide health priority, the International Osteoporosis Foundation reaches out to healthcare professionals, policy makers, the media, patients, and the public to, among other things, highlight stories of real people living with the condition.
A Family Affair
A key focus of WOD 2020 is that bone health impacts the entire family. If a parent has or had osteoporosis or a hip fracture, it may increase your own risk of developing the disease. Aside from its physical effects, osteoporosis affects families in another way: in the U.S., family members often bear the personal and financial burden of care.
“I try to do all the right things health-wise” says Sheila J. When her daughter, Dr. Singer, an expert in the field of bone health and Chief of Women’s Primary Care and Director of Bone Densitometry and the Fracture Liaison Service at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., suggested she have a bone density scan as she entered her 60s, Sheila J. complied and to her delight, the results were excellent.
Things gradually changed after she went off estrogen in 2003. In 2006, she was diagnosed with low bone mass (osteopenia), the condition that begins as you lose bone mass and your bones get weaker. Importantly, overall clinical evaluation and fracture risk assessment indicated that her fracture risk was high, though she had no pain or symptoms. Because of this, her daughter recommended she start medication and her primary care doctor agreed.
Dr. Singer was quick to point out that although approaches to treating low bone mass (osteopenia) have changed a bit since 2006, the treatment focus is still based on an evaluation of a combination of bone density and other risk factors such as whether a person has had a previous fracture or family history of osteoporosis. The goal, she says, is to “identify people who are at higher risk for fracture” and who are “likely to benefit from treatment.” That meant looking at her mother’s health from the standpoint of a complete picture, including her increasing age, before deciding medication was indicated to help reduce her risk of fracture.
An Evolving Treatment Approach
Individual patients often employ multiple treatment approaches over the course of their disease. As Dr. Singer puts it, “there’s no one-size-fits-all or standard recommendation.” Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, osteoporosis is a chronic disease that can be treated effectively, but not cured. This means that although the disease requires lifelong attention, there will be times when balancing the benefits and risks make adjustments appropriate. In Sheila J.’s case, she remained asymptomatic until early 2018 when an MRI showed a spine fracture. That’s when she started to approach her condition differently and treatment was changed. She’s now more careful with her movements and takes extra precautions to prevent falling. Sheila J. also always carries her phone with her, even to the bathroom, in case she needs to call for help.
Though Sheila J. finds being nearly three inches shorter a “little disconcerting,” she says she’s still able to enjoy life. She gets together with friends and takes walks, although they tend to be of shorter duration. For her, it’s been “learning to live with it and adjust” that’s so important. And a big part of her success she believes is that her daughter is involved as a source of expert information coupled with emotional support.
Love Your Bones
For many people, a fracture can be a life-altering event. It sometimes means the loss of independence or ability to live on one’s own. But with treatment, many people can, and do, live full and fulfilling lives while dealing with osteoporosis. We hope you enjoyed learning about this mother and daughter’s experience and find inspiration in Sheila J.’s attitude and approach to coping the best she can with the disease. To hear more, listen to the entire podcast episode.