Beware the 'thief in the night', warn doctors

JAKARTA (JP): Doctors urged the public, especially women above 45-years-old, to be more alert to the dangers of osteoporosis, the prevalency of which is believed to be rising among the Indonesian population.

Osteoporosis is a corrosion of the bones which causes the skeleton to become more spongy and easily broken. It is caused by a drop in calcium levels and bone density due to the effects of old age.

Women who have reached menopause are particularly vulnerable as during that period the estrogen hormone, which helps supply calcium, no longer functions.

While men are also prone to the disease, their numbers are believed to be fewer as bone corrosion does not occur until a much later age.

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), an organization under the supervision of World Health Organization (WHO), says that some 200 million women all over the world suffer from osteoporosis.

The number is estimated to accelerate in accordance with higher life expectancy.

Although precise data of osteoporosis patients in Indonesia is not available, doctors estimate that the prevalence is quite high.

"There are some 2,000 recorded cases of osteoporosis in our center alone," said Irhamsjah A. Rachman, obstetrics and gynecology specialist from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, on Friday.

He was speaking at an event marking Oct. 20 as Indonesian Osteoporosis Day, in conjunction with World Osteoporosis Day.

The event was officially opened on Friday by Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi.

According to Irhamsjah, the probability of osteoporosis in Indonesia was also rising due to increased life expectancy.

Currently life expectancy for women here is put at between 67.5 to 70 years-old, while for men it is 65.

"In 2010, life expectancy will increase by 8.2 percent to 70- 75 years old for women. Therefore women should be aware of the disease," he said.

The stature of Indonesian women, he added, who are relatively smaller than Western women, also contributes to the higher risk.

"Overweight women have an advantage because the fat in their body produces substances which help protect bones through a chemical reaction," Irhamsjah said.

While age and hormones are the main causes, Irhamsjah said that there are cases where women below 30 also suffer from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, he added, is often dubbed "a thief in the night" because of its unclear symptoms.

"Sometimes people think that it's because they're too tired," Irhamsjah said, adding that some hospitals now have the equipment to detect the disease.

"There are also some medicines for the disease, although osteoporosis can't be 100 percent cured," he said.

The important thing is to prevent the disease, Irhamsjah said, through good nutrition -- especially calcium intake, being physically active, exposure to sunlight, and exercise.

"Cigarettes and alcohol consumption also increase the risk. And be careful of consuming asthma and hormonal medicine as it increases the chance of developing spongy bones," he said.

Healthy levels of calcium consumption are different for different ages.

Doctors suggest an intake of at least 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day for those aged nine to 18 years old; 1,000 milligrams per day for ages 19 to 50; 1,200 milligrams for people older than 51 years old; and 1,000 to 1,300 for pregnant women or women who breastfeed their babies.

Calcium can be obtained from milk and green vegetables.

"But there are people who suffer from lactose intolerance and get diarrhea after drinking milk. For these people, they can substitute milk with calcium tablets," he said. (09)