Osteoporosis – specialist informs patients from Bitburg
What patients from Bitburg should know about osteoporosis as a bone disease
BITBURG. osteoporosis is a common disease in people over the age of 50. This form of bone loss is a widespread disease that affects around 900,000 people in Germany every year. It is estimated that around six million people in Germany suffer from osteoporosis. Women make up the majority of sufferers with around five million. Medicine faces a major challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Patients from the Bitburg area find bundled expertise at the Hormone and Metabolism Centre under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. hc. Christian Wüster, patients from the Bitburg area will find bundled expertise in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Information for patients from Bitburg about the chronic bone disease osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a chronic bone disease. It is also known as bone loss. The relationship between bone formation, bone resorption, bone quality and bone density is out of balance in osteoporosis. As the bones become fragile and porous as a result, the bone structure is increasingly destroyed. Even minor everyday impacts are often enough to cause the bones to break.
Many people do not realise that they are suffering from the condition, as it often only becomes noticeable with symptoms at a late stage. Fragility fractures often occur in the vertebrae, hips, femurs and forearms. Prof Wüster and his team focus treatment on prevention in order to avoid fragility fractures.
Contact for patients from Bitburg with changes to the bone structure
Patients with suspected osteoporosis will find a contact person at the Hormone and Metabolism Centre. To understand the disease, Prof Wüster explains the structure of the bones. The medullary cavity is located inside the long bones. It is filled with bone marrow. The bones of the vertebral body and femoral neck have a sponge-like structure in their tissue. It ensures the strength and load-bearing capacity of these bones. The periosteum surrounds the bone. The skeleton is constantly being remodelled. In osteoporosis, bone mass is broken down at an accelerated rate. As the structure of the bone tissue is disrupted, the bone structure becomes more susceptible to fractures.
