Even if you don’t know exactly what it means, osteoporosis sounds ominous.
Nineteenth-century doctors coined the word — which comes from “osteon,” the Greek word for bone, and “porosis,” Latin for porous — to describe what these early medical professionals observed when studying bone failures.
Healthy bones have a honeycomb structure that provides great tensile strength. With osteoporosis that structure hollows, losing density and increasing the chance of fracture.
Bone mass naturally decreases in men and women after 30, but a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, a family history of osteoporosis and menopause can speed the process.
It usually afflicts people over 50, and many more women than men. It robs millions of their independence and costs the economy billions. It is a serious illness and can complicate the treatment of unrelated medical conditions, even something as minor as having a tooth filled.
But, luckily, osteoporosis is largely preventable through prudent lifestyle choices and appropriate testing to catch problems early.
“Our technology is without peer,” said Dr. David Steinberg, one of the founders of Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging. “Investing in this equipment is an investment in our patients.”
SDMI offers some of the latest dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry screening, better known as DEXA, at its seven centers in Southern Nevada.
DEXA testing is a diagnostic tool for taking bone mass measurements and assessing the strength of the skeletal structure. It is safe and reliable and one of the most recommended screening procedures in the fight against osteoporosis.
“Measurement of bone density using DEXA has become the gold standard for the diagnosis of osteoporosis,” according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a congressionally created independent panel of experts that studies testing procedures.
Among those suffering with osteoporosis, 80 percent are women, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. The reasons start with the thinner, smaller bones women are born with. Also, the production of estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases greatly at menopause, increasing with time the chances of developing osteoporosis.
What frustrates many in the medical community is the failure of too many patients, particularly women, to get their recommended DEXA screenings, which are generally covered by Medicare and other health insurers (policies can vary).
“Even the best tools are ineffective if they are not being put to use,” said Steinberg.
The latest osteoporosis research shows too few women at high risk of fracture make use of X-ray screening to assess their bone health before injury strikes.
In a study of nearly 51,000 women published this spring in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, fewer than 60 percent of women between 60 and 75, a group at higher risk of osteoporosis, received DEXA screening over the seven-year period studied.
Among women older than 75, that figure falls to barely above 40 percent. Other studies have found similar results, with the instance of testing frequently declining with age instead of increasing, as the science calls for.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends DEXA screening for women aged 65 years and older and for younger women with increased fracture risk.
In Southern Nevada, one of the strongest advocates for osteoporosis screening is former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. During her 14 years in the House she regularly encouraged her constituents to be screened and sponsored osteoporosis-related legislation, including the Preservation of Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act and the Bone Health Promotion and Research Act.
Today, as CEO and senior provost for Henderson’s Touro University Nevada medical school, she continues the fight by promoting osteoporosis awareness, education and research. It is an effort close to her heart — and her bones.
In 1998 as she first campaigned for Congress, her then-boyfriend Dr. Larry Lehrner invited her to his office and encouraged her to take a DEXA test.
“I wasn’t interested and tried to get out of it,” Berkley recalled, “but he insisted, and the DEXA test demonstrated I had osteoporosis.”
Lerner, who is a kidney doctor and now Berkley’s husband, had concerns from her posture that she had bone-health issues. The diagnosis prompted her to take better care of herself and allowed Berkley to escape the fate that had befallen her grandmothers.
“Both my grandmothers lived to old age, had poor posture, and started to break bones,” Berkley said. “We had assumed it was a natural part of aging but now realize both of them probably had osteoporosis.
Today, Berkley, who served as a trustee for the National Osteoporosis Foundation, is a vocal advocate for regular evaluations and acting on what you learn.
“Every year I go for the test at Steinberg Diagnostic,” Berkley said. “With proper medication, getting enough calcium, taking care, and exercising — you can reverse deterioration of bone mass.
“My back is bent over; I will never have good posture but it will never be as bad as what could have happened.”
She also knows what a powerful weapon love can be in the fight against osteoporosis. Berkley’s passion for this message comes through loud and clear…
“Daughters and granddaughters need to talk to their mothers and grandmothers and encourage them to get their screenings.”