Bone Health for Life - About Risks

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Risks

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Risks

About Risks

The longer a person lives the more likely they are to develop osteoporosis. Some people, however, will develop osteoporosis at an earlier stage in their life.

There is a range of conditions, lifestyle factors, hormonal states or treatments, which are associated with an increased risk of developing of osteoporosis.

It is important to know that if any of these associations apply to you it does not mean that you will have developed osteoporosis. It is worthwhile discussing with your doctor whether you need investigations for osteoporosis.

Associations with an increased risk for the development of osteoporosis

Association	Description
Conditions	Eating disorders (eg. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia) Rheumatoid Arthritis Primary hyperparathyroidism Cushing’s disease/Cushing's syndrome Thyroid disease - particularly overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or excessive thyroxine (oroxine) replacement Chronic liver disease Chronic kidney disease Malabsorptive illnesses eg. Coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, other Inflammatory bowel diseases
Lifestyle choices	Smoking Inactive lifestyle Excessive caffeine intake (> 5 – 6 cups/day) Excessive alcohol intake (alcohol abuse) Inadequate exercise or immobilisation Long term low dietary calcium intake
Hormone deficiency states	Late first menstrual period - (after age of 15 - 16) Premature menopause (before the age of 45) Menopause Testosterone deficiency in males
Treatments	Excessive thyroxine (oroxine) replacement for thyroid disorders Long term oral corticosteroid use (i.e. oral Prednisolone at doses of 5 – 7.5mgs given for more than 2 to 3 months) Breast cancer treatment Treatment for various malignancies (cancers)
Other reasons	Failure to achieve adequate peak bone mass in late teens (i.e the highest level of bone strength which occurs at completion of growth) Vitamin D Deficiency Female athletes (usually in the setting of having amenorrhoea (no periods) / oligmenorrhea (infrequent periods)) Genetic factors (runs in families)/ethnic factors (Caucasian, Asian) Organ transplant recipients
Others at risk	Housebound/institutionalised elderly