Overview

Osteoporosis in women is a chronic bone disease, characterized by low bone mass and loss of bone tissue, affecting millions of people around the world. It increases the risk of fractures and can impact quality of life. By understanding the facts and getting tested, women can find out their risk and take action to protect their bones.

What every woman should know
 

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis happens when people lose too much bone, make too little bone, or both.
Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and break easily.
Bone fractures from osteoporosis most commonly occur in the spine, hip, and wrist.

Who has Osteoporosis?

Over 200 million women suffer from osteoporosis worldwide.
One out of three women over 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture; for men it is one out of five.
The highest risks of hip fracture in the world are currently found in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and the U.S.
By 2050, Asia is expected to account for almost 50% of all global fractures.

What is the impact?

Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million global bone fractures annually.

Osteoporosis accounts for more hospitalization days in women over the age of 45 than diabetes, heart attack and breast cancer.
By 2050, the global cost of osteoporosis is expected to exceed $130 billion.

What are the risk factors?

Low calcium and vitamin D intake
Gender
Anorexia
Family history
No or limited weight- bearing physical activity
Low sex-hormone levels 
Age
Ethnicity
Smoking, alcohol and some medicines (especially anti- depressants and corticosteroids)

Symptoms

Symptoms of Osteoporosis in Women
Symptoms of osteoporosis in women typically do not present themselves until a fracture occurs. Bone loss occurs gradually over a long period of time and does not cause pain.

Related Diseases and Conditions
Other conditions can be harmful to bone health. Rickets and osteomalacia caused by insufficient vitamin D in children and adults can cause fractures and bone deformities. Kidney disease (renal osteodystrophy) can cause fractures. Paget’s disease can cause bones to become deformed and weak. Genetic abnormalities (such as osteogenesis imperfecta) can cause abnormal bone growth susceptible to fractures. Endocrine disorders (such as overactive glands) can also lead to bone disease.

Solutions

Reducing the burden of bone disease in women includes understanding risk factors, making rapid, accurate diagnoses when symptoms occur, implementing appropriate therapies, and monitoring treatment. Laboratory diagnostic testing plays an integral role in helping care for women throughout the continuum of bone disease and of life.

Benefits of 25-OH Vitamin D testing

The measurement of the 25-OH Vitamin D concentration in serum or plasma is so far the best indicator of Vitamin D nutritional status. It is generally accepted that serum 25-OH Vitamin D levels reflect the body’s storage levels of Vitamin D and correlate with the clinical symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency. There is no consensus about the optimal 25-OH Vitamin D level, but many publications suggest a range ≥30 ng/mL (>80nmol/L) as optimal. Several population studies have identified widespread 25-OH Vitamin D insufficiency (> 40% of the population) in apparent healthy populations. Paediatric reference intervals have not been established, but the American Association for Paediatrics (AAP) recommends a value of 20 ng/mL for healthy children.

DiaSino 25-OH Vitamin D features 

Ready to use reagents across whole kit

One-step competitive principle, only 85 minutes assay time

Low limit of detection (LoD) up to 2.0 ng/mL

Wide measuring range between 0 -250 ng/mL

Clinical correlation to Roche Elecsys Vitamin D ECLIA up to r > 97% on 52 samples

Developed and launched in 2018