Widespread Osteoporosis Osteoarthritis and Hypertension in Women

Woman - Being So Soft Yet so Strong With Armoring Bone and a Tender Heart Arms to Brace and Embrace to Hearten Ushering Emotions to Life and Life to Existence Standing Staunch, Not Bending to Hurdles Clinging to Hope, She is integrating her Fragments.

Smiling away the blemishes of life She will care for Everybody in sight Uncomprehending her own existence Pensive sadness yet pretense of exuberance She may perish but her soul immortal Because she is a Woman - Being So Strong but Subtle

Playing various roles, maneuvering through different responsibilities, but disregarding her own well-being; one in four women above the age of 50 years suffers from osteoporosis in India. Post menopause, the bone density in women tends to decrease at the rate of 4 - 5.7% at around the age of 40.' Women also have increased occurrence of coronary heart disease- 14.3%, as compared to meni.e. 12.5%.

Heart and Bone are two important organs and women need to consider their health along with others. Listed below are the most widespread diseases in women.

Bone - Diseases Attacking her Strength
Osteoporosis Osteoporosis causes the bone to become fragile and less dense. Because women have lesser bone mass than men, they are more prone to being affected by this disease. Although bones generally get weaker with increasing age, this condition becomes most common in women after menopause. This is because after menopause, the production of the hormone estrogen reduces, which is essential for maintaining bone health by helping to deposit calcium in the bones.

All bones are at risk of being affected by osteoporosis but the most menacing are the risks to vertebrae of spine, and the hip which can have an effect on posture causing a person to stoop, as well as loss of height, back pain, curving of spine, etc. Osteoporosis being a "silent disease", the impact is visible only after the damage is done. So to prevent bone damage due to osteoporosis, it becomes essential to diagnose it much earlier.

Osteoarthritis (OA) This is one of the most common joint diseases especially in older women which causes movement disability. The incidences of this condition increases in women greatly after menopause. Osteoarthritis causes joint failure by attacking the connective tissues of joints Although initially not considered, but with increasing evidence predominantly in women who have attained menopause, it has been now deemed that estrogen deficiency does have a consequential effect on joints and cartilage tissues. Estrogen is said to protect the cartilages that cushion the joints from inflammation which is commonly seen in Osteoarthritis.

Impaired production of estrogen at peri- or postmenopausal period accounts for decrease in lean body mass and increase in body fat, along with loss of muscle mass thus causing impairment of muscle performance and functional capacity.

Heart - Diseases Attacking her Softness
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Women have comparatively lower blood pressure (BP) than men. However it has been observed that post menopause, the prevalence of hypertension in women increases considerably. Because hypertension is one of the major factors responsible for death due to heart diseases (Cardiovascular disease), it becomes very important to prevent and protect oneself from the clutches of this condition. The hormone estrogen prevents BP from increasing, but because post menopause, level of estrogen drops, women become more prone to high blood pressure. Dysfunction of the cells of blood vessels, which is one of the characteristics of hypertension, is also caused due to loss of estrogen. Although progress in awareness and treatment of hypertension has been made, it is underestimated and undiagnosed in women.

Cardiovascular disease and Hypertension is no longer only a man's disease

Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease Menopause does not particularly cause heart diseases. But women postmenopause undergo a considerable decrease in HDL (good cholesterol) and an increase in LDL (bad cholesterol). Such changes are expected to root for atherosclerosis, in which the blood vessels harden and become less elastic. Estrogen is considered to play a very positive role in maintaining the inner walls of the arteries. Because levels of estrogen drop after menopause, this effect also starts declining, making the heart vulnerable to Coronary diseases (diseases of arteries).

Diagnosis
Bone profile Aids in diagnosing the deficiency of essential minerals and vitamins required for bone health such as,
calcium- Which is obtained through diet, is the building block of bone
vitamin D -Which is produced by skin on exposure to sunlight helps in absorbing calcium from food into bones

Bone profile also includes testing for other factors that may influence or give an indication of bone health, such as hormones, rheumatoid factor, serum copper and zinc, uric acid, etc.
Lipid Profile
Aids in diagnosing the abnormal levels of
LDL- Which carries the cholesterol towards the cells and
HDL- Which carries the cholesterol away from body cells to the liver for excretion
Other blood tests include detection of triglycerides, whose accumulation may also lead to heart diseases.

Bone profile, Cardiac profile and Lipid profile are available at Thyrocare at highly affordable rates with the analysis done using sophisticated and automated technologies.