symtoms

What is osteoporosis and what are the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis ?

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and loss of bone tissue that may lead to weak and fragile bones. Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone micro architecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered.
Osteoporosis is most common in women after menopause, when it is called postmenopausal osteoporosis, but may also develop in men.

Causes of Osteoporosis

- Osteoporosis occurs when there is an imbalance between new bone formation and old bone resorption.
- The body may fail to form enough new bone, or too much old bone may be reabsorbed, or both.
- The leading cause of osteoporosis is a lack of certain hormones, particularly estrogen in women and androgen in men.
- Other factors that may contribute to bone loss in this age group include inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, lack of weight-bearing exercise, and other age-related changes in endocrine functions.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis can be present without any symptoms for decades because osteoporosis doesn’t cause symptoms until bone fractures. he symptom associated with osteoporotic fractures usually is pain; the location of the pain depends on the location of the fracture.

Risk factors of Osteoporosis

- Getting older.
- Being small and thin.
- Having a family history of osteoporosis.
- Taking certain medicines.
- Being a white or Asian woman.
- Having osteopenia, which is low bone mass.
- Cigarette smoking, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, low amounts of calcium in the diet, heavy alcohol consumption, inactive lifestyle, and use of certain medications, such as corticosteroids and anticonvulsants, are also risk factors.
- Rheumatoid arthritis itself is a risk factor for osteoporosis.

Facts and Figures

- Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans, 68 percent of whom are women.
- One out of every two women and one in four men age 50 and older will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
- Osteoporosis can strike at any age.
- Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including approximately 300,000 hip fractures, 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and more than 300,000 fractures at other sites.

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Skin Cancer : causes and symptoms.

Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. It is estimated that over 1 million new cases occur annually. The annual rates of all forms of skin cancer are increasing each year, representing a growing public concern.
Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. This sudden transformation in the cells causing uncontrollable formulation of cells leads to a mass called a tumour. Tumour of skin is often referred to as lesions. These tumours are cancerous in the cases when they are malignant causing invasion of neighboring tissues due to the excessive growth. The tumours may also travel to remote organs through the bloodstream.
The three most common skin cancers are :
- Basal cell cancer
- Squamous cell cancer
- melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises.

Symptoms of skin cancer :
- These include changes in the skin that do not heal, ulcering in the skin, discolored skin, and changes in existing moles, such as jagged edges to the mole and enlargement of the mole.
- In the case of the basal cell carcinoma generally a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the skin of the head, neck or shoulders is visible sometimes crusting and bleeding in the center of the tumor also develops.
- In the case of Squamous cell carcinoma a thick patch develops red in color. Ulcers and bleeding can also develop.
- The melanomas have brown or black colored lesions. The signs of malignant melanoma include a change in size, shape, color or elevation in the pre-existing mole.

Causes of Skin cancer :
- Smoking tobacco and related products can double the risk of skin cancer.
- Overexposure to UV-radiation.
- Chronic non-healing wounds, especially burns.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Human papilloma virus (HPV) is often associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the genitals, anus, mouth, pharynx, and fingers.
- Skin cancer is one of the potential dangers of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.
- Deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals.