It is estimated that osteoporosis affects 3.5 million people in Spain and more than 200 million people worldwide. In our country every year is responsible for at least 100,000 bone fractures.

“It is a major problem for its prevalence, morbidity and mortality caused by it and by the consumption of medical resources involved,” specifies Manuel Diaz Curiel, president of the Hispanic Foundation for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases (FHOEMO).

To combat its consequences, this organization has promoted a campaign in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry and throughout the Spanish territory, which emphasizes the need to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D and calcium to maintain good bone health .

Aware of their magnitude

Supplementation of therapies that prevent bone resorption (total or partial loss of bone tissue) vitamin D dramatically reduces the risk of bone fractures in the elderly as a result of osteoporosis.

Follow a few simple hygienic-dietary measures and generalized tests that measure bone density in patients at risk, not only helps to prevent development but minimize associated complications, among which are primarily bone fractures.

Therefore, this campaign serves several purposes. First, it seeks to raise public awareness, since osteoporosis is highly prevalent and causes complications that affect quality of life of persons or may cause increased mortality (especially for hip fractures ). “Another objective is to make the major risk factors for osteoporosis and show how these profiles can be modified by simple lifestyle and from an early disease diagnosis,” says Diaz Curiel.

Preventing the incurable

Because both men and women are living longer, disorders resulting from poor bone health are growing in number and complexity increases. The aging, a decline of sex hormones or improper lifestyle are major risk factors that point to a low bone mass and, therefore, are behind much of osteoporotic fractures.

Physical inactivity, dietary changes and hormonal changes due to aging and inactivity often redound in a marked reduction in bone mass. According to Diaz Curiel, is crucial to detect at an early stage asymptomatic patients, but with risk factors for developing osteoporosis, “Preventive work is the best therapy, especially in people with risk factors and may ignore the danger they expose their bones. ”

This specialist explained that the screening tests are bloodless and can treat the patient with the best drug for their personal circumstances. In some cases, osteoporosis is due to genetic factors can not be changed, but there are other factors that it can and should be correct: the overweight or obese, smoking, early menopause in the case of women, sedentary or a dietary deficiency of calcium and vitamin D.

Low levels of vitamin D

Vitamin D is key to the prevention of osteoporotic fractures, especially when taking into account the deficit of this prohormone (no hormone activity itself) in the elderly population and associated with calcium, studies have shown clinicians be able to reduce the risk of bone fractures. It is also essential for the maintenance of muscle function because it facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from ion channels. A sharp deficit of calcium intake and vitamin D in the diet contributes to bone loss, reduction of bone strength and, ultimately, shoot the risk of fractures.

Although in many treatment guidelines recommend osteoporosis with vitamin D supplementation in patients at risk, the deficit is the Achilles heel in the prevention of disease. This has been highlighted in a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), conducted by experts from France and Spain. The work has evaluated the level of vitamin D and calcium in a total of 414 osteoporotic women older than age 50.

It highlights that the majority of patients, despite being diagnosed, did not meet the recommended levels of vitamin D. The researchers also show that an inadequate level of vitamin negatively impact the absorption of calcium, accelerated bone loss and fracture risk. “Indeed,” added FHOEMO-president, has shown that combined administration of vitamin D and calcium reduces the incidence of osteoporotic fractures and that adequate levels of this vitamin are necessary to optimize the results obtained in osteoporotic patients treated with bisphosphonates . Bisphosphonates are a drug used in preventing and treating bone resorption diseases like osteoporosis.

Although vitamin D is synthesized by the skin and has always been thought that in Spain the solar intensity allowed a major contribution in this, the study reports that levels in our country are generally quite low. For this reason, we need a greater contribution to the intestines absorb calcium and it can be fixed to bone. The problem is that not always get an adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D only through the diet. From FHOEMO advised to use supplementation of both “excellent also to overcome drug resistance to anti-osteoporotic bone.