The Effects of Aging on the Musculoskeletal System: Osteoporosis - Essay Example

? The effects of aging on the musculoskeletal system: Osteoporosis Introduction Predictions and absolutes where aging is concerned are few and without much in the way of consistency. The only absolute is that every living being will age and that the way in which the aging occurs will be unique to the individual. According to Sirduso and MacRae (2005: 4), “the term aging refers to a process or group of processes occurring in living organisms that with the passage of time lead to a loss of adaptability, functional impairment, and eventual death” . The effects of aging on the human body can create a great number of consequences for the individual who experiences the changes and deteriorations of their body. One of the more common effects of aging is the deterioration of bone mass and density through the processes of osteoporosis. This is especially common in women due to factors that are hormonal, genetic, environmental and societal. Ethnicity is also a factor in the incidents of the condition, creating a diversity of information as the existence and progression can be identified through different forms of classifications (Murthy and Smith 2010: 223). As people age, the development of osteoporosis can create difficulties in terms of well-being and mobility that affect the quality of life. Aging and the Musculoskeletal System As age progresses, the musculoskeletal system will begin to change, with the deterioration resulting in aches, pains, and losses in function. Changes that occur to this system are some of the leading causes of disability in older humans (Carter 2008: 525). Older individuals have a different rate of absorption in the intestines than do younger people. The gastric parietal cell function will decrease, while the gastric ph increases, making gastric emptying a slower process (Rosen, Glowacki, and Bilezikian, 1999: 221). What this means for the body is that the rate of absorption of nutrients will shift, creating deficits in some areas while other areas will suffer from an increase that puts the body out of balance. This will, as an example, put the bones at risk from agents like glucocorticoids and anticonvulsants (Rosen, Glowacki, and Bilezikian, 1999: 221). Calcium deficiencies begin to occur as an individual ages. One of the problems with calcium is that as the intestines age, they are less capable of processing calcium into the system, no longer able to absorb the levels needed to maintain good bone health. Calcium is built up during youth, the stores created during younger years used as the body stops absorbing calcium at the rate that it once could. If there is not enough calcium in the system stored, bone health can become compromised as one ages (Carter 2008: 525). Bone Loss and Osteoporosis Bones are greatly affected by time. As time passes, the way in which the body processes different aspects of life will have an effect on the way it will function. The two most important factors in understanding bone health and age is through the peak bone mass and the rate of bone loss during older age. Peak bone mass is achieved by about the end of thirties, with bone loss beginning at about a rate of .07 – 1% per year after that time. One of the crucial differences between men and women is the loss of estrogens during menopause which increases the loss of bone mass to 2% to 3% during the time of menopause (Spirduso, Francis, and Macrae 2005: 68). As a result, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer from osteoporosis (Gueldner 2009: np). This means that the process of bone loss begins at the end of the thirties, becomes rapidly increased during the fifties, and then declines during the seventies. A second factor that affects this difference seen between men and women is that women begin with a lower bone mass than do men, thus they have less to lose from the onset (Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields 2011: 73). Osteoporosis occurs most often when low bone mass is present at the beginning of the period of life when bone mass loss will occur, which is one of the causes of women having a higher incidence of the condition than men (Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields 2011:74). Osteoporosis is a preventable disease. The consequences of the problem can be broken and brittle bones which result in debilitation and disability from breaks and fractures. Bones can snap before falls, as well as during them. Having watched a grandmother fall after hearing the snap of the bone, it is clear that bones sometimes break causing the fall rather than as a result of the fall. According to Gueldner (2008), the World Health Organization has estimated that more than 70 million people in the world suffer from osteoporosis. The disease is easily prevented through proper levels of Vitamin D, exercise, and adequate calcium. The pharmaceutical companies have participated in creating drugs that increase the success of these preventative measures, creating a world in which these types of breaks and fractures from a loss of bone mass no longer exists. Treatment for osteoporosis, beyond vitamin and exercise diligence, can be through biophosphonate medications such as Fosamax. Medications like this particular brand are used to “alter bone metabolism to slow bone loss” (Kane and Kane 2011: 28). Alfacalcidol is also a form of medication that can be used to reduce bone mass loss primarily through changing the reduction of calcium absorption within the intestinal tract. This medication affects the way in which the body processes calcium, rather than affecting the rate of bone loss to the bones themselves (Ringe 2006: 47). The use of medications, however, pale in comparison to the preventative measures in youth that prevent the condition from emerging within the body. Because the disease is easily prevented through lifestyle choices, it can be eliminated or reduced to the point of virtual reduction within the current generation of 20-somethings (Gueldner 2008: 10). Conclusion The state of bone health in older individuals is subject to bone mass loss and changes in absorption rates for nutrients that lead to problems with breaking and fracture. Women are far more likely to experience significant bone mass loss and develop osteoporosis due to the lower bone mass that a female is likely to have at the beginning of bone loss, coupled with the effects of menopause during the decade the age of the fifties. The ease of prevention means that the nature of bone mass loss can be ended within a generation or less, but it requires changing lifestyle choices and paying attention during a time when many are still distanced from the idea of their mortality due to youth. Treatments through biophosphonate and alfacalcidol can help, the first through helping to increase bone mass, the second through helping with the absorption of calcium. Aging and bone mass loss is a devastating and preventable problem. References Carter, P. J. (2008). Lippincott's textbook for nursing assistants: A humanistic approach to caregiving. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Cavanaugh, J. C., and Blanchard-Fields, F. (2011). Adult development and aging. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Gueldner, S. H. (2008). Osteoporosis: Clinical guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and management. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Kane, R. L., and Ouellette, J. (2011). The good caregiver: A one-of-a-kind compassionate resource for anyone caring for an aging loved one. New York: Avery. Murthy, P., and Smith, C. L. (2010). Women's global health and human rights. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Ringe, J. D. (2006). Alfacalcidol in prevention and treatment of all major forms of osteoporosis and in renal osteopathy: Distinction to plain vitamin D, clinical evidence and practical recommendations ; 18 tables. Stuttgart: Thieme. Rosen, C. J., Glowacki, J., and Bilezikian, J. P. (1999). The aging skeleton. San Diego: Academic Press. Spirduso, W. W., Francis, K. L., and MacRae, P. G. (2005). Physical dimensions of aging. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics. Read More