Osteoporosis is a disease of bone tissue, increased fragility of bones due to lack of calcium. For a patient with osteoporosis, even minor injuries can result in a fracture. Osteoporosis usually occurs due to metabolic disorders.
Let’s say a person stumbles, fails to open a heavy door, or drops a heavy book on the floor. For someone suffering from osteoporosis, any situation that seems simple can end very badly - with a fracture. Women are more susceptible to this disease, especially during periods of hormonal imbalance, during menopause; men suffer from this disease much less frequently.
Most often it occurs in women who have experienced the onset of menopause and are in menopause. It is they who are included in the “risk group” who should be especially attentive to their health and take into account all manifestations of the disease.
Symptoms of osteoporosis most often do not appear; people can live for many years without suspecting that such processes are taking place in their body. But still, scientists note a decrease in bone tissue as the main symptoms of osteoporosis; aching pain in the lower back and frequent fractures can sometimes be disturbing.
Ordinary doctors most often cannot determine the cause of frequent fractures, only such narrow specialists as orthopedists or surgeons can suspect this disease, after which they send them for x-rays of bones, etc., women are sent to a gynecologist. With osteoporosis, the patient may decrease in size due to a decrease in bone tissue, even becoming 10–15 cm shorter in height.
Symptoms of osteoporosis include:
significant fatigue (indicates a general weakening of the body, deterioration of metabolism and slower compensation of all functions);
cramps in the lower extremities, which manifest themselves mainly at night;
excess plaque on tooth enamel;
pain in the bones or lower back;
obvious fragility and predisposition of nails to delamination;
premature graying (quite rare);
problems associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (provoked by serious deformities of the spine, which literally puts pressure on a woman’s internal organs, including the stomach);
onset of diabetes mellitus (osteoporosis is also an endocrine disorder, so consultation with this specialist is necessary);
other ailments that are associated with dysfunction of metabolism and salt metabolism.
excessively rapid heartbeat.
It is impossible not to pay attention to such serious symptoms as:
bone tissue fractures;
feeling of heaviness in the area between the shoulder blades;
general muscle weakness;
downward change in height;
They, in turn, are evidence that the disease is at a later stage. Often osteoporosis at this stage is already irreversible; it is only possible to stop its progression or slow down its entire effect on the body.
The cause of osteoporosis may be a long history of smoking, alcohol abuse, digestive problems, metabolic failures, or the disease is inherited. In old age, osteoporosis often occurs due to poor absorption of calcium and nutrients into the intestines.
But most often the cause of osteoporosis is, as a rule, a hormonal imbalance. Osteoporosis occurs predominantly in women and is associated with menopause. The point is not at all a lack of calcium in the body, but a disruption in the functioning of bone tissue building cells. We have two types of cells in our body: building and destructive. During menopause, the work of building cells is disrupted. You need to go to a gynecologist or look for remedies that will restore the body during menopause.
If you take drugs like synthetic corticosteroids for a very long time, your body begins to suffer. A lack of hormones due to drugs can lead to a disease such as osteoporosis.
With age, all people experience a decrease in bone density, their strength and tone are significantly reduced. These are understandable changes that occur in the body as a consequence of aging. But in certain categories of people, such changes form much earlier in time and occur more intensely. A significant number of causes of this disease have been identified.
There are also reasons that cannot be changed:
being female;
Caucasian or Mongoloid race (it has been proven that African Americans have a virtually zero risk of developing osteoporosis. This is possible due to the fact that they often spend a long time in the sun, which strengthens the bone structure);
weakened or thinned skeletal bone tissue;
age category over 65 years (at this age the natural loss of calcium by the human body begins. It is possible to replenish it only partially);
genetic factor (in this case, the degree of close relationship is not particularly important).
There are also risk factors that can be influenced:
food unsaturated with calcium and vitamin D (you should consume as much calcium and vitamins belonging to this group as possible);
the use of certain medications, for example, corticosteroids and anticonvulsants (they should be kept to a minimum if possible. If this is not possible, then immediately after stopping their use it is recommended to consult a chiropractor and in the future be aware of the risk of developing an illness);
frequent use of hormonal drugs;
a sedentary lifestyle (it has been proven that the more active a woman’s lifestyle is, the less she is at risk of developing osteoporosis);
any form of smoking;
excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages (more than three groups per day with varying degrees of strength);
dysfunction of the digestive system, endocrine and pancreas;
hormonal changes that occur throughout menopause;
disruption of the functioning of the ovaries or their removal (leads to hormonal imbalance or early onset of menopause. This, in turn, can become a catalyst for the development of osteoporosis);
problems in the functioning of the adrenal glands (in itself is not the cause of the disease, but taking medications may well provoke it);
all other diseases of the endocrine glands (they are most often directly related to hormonal imbalance).
Thus, the appearance of osteoporosis will be quite expected if you know all the reasons that will influence the formation of the presented disease.
Osteoporosis of the senile type occurs due to calcium deficiency associated with age and loss of balance between the accelerated destruction of bone tissue, as well as the rate of formation of new bone tissue. “Senile” implies that the condition appears at an older age, most often in people 70 years of age or older. This disease occurs twice as often in women than in men. In women, it is almost always combined with the postmenopausal stage.
It should be especially noted that in less than 5% of cases the disease is caused by some other ailment or taking certain medications. This is a form of osteoporosis known as secondary. It can form under the conditions described above. Let's say there are problems with the kidneys or the endocrine gland. Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking addiction only aggravate the presented disease.
There is also idiopathic “youth” osteoporosis. This is a rare type of osteoporosis, the cause of which is currently unknown. It is formed in infants, children and young people who have completely normal levels of hormones and vitamins in the blood. In addition, they do not have any clear reason for the decrease in bone density.
The severity of osteoporosis is determined as follows:
primary degree, which is detected in a decrease in bone tissue density. During X-ray diagnostics, significant transparency of the X-ray shadow and striation of the silhouettes of the vertebrae are revealed. This degree of illness is determined exclusively by medical research;
secondary or moderate osteoporosis - an obvious decrease in bone density. In this case, the vertebral bodies acquire a specific biconcave shape, and a wedge-shaped deformity of one of the vertebrae is formed. This degree of illness manifests itself in severe painful sensations;
severe osteoporosis, or tertiary degree - sharp transparency of the vertebrae is revealed during an X-ray examination. Otherwise, this is called glazing and the presence of a wedge-shaped deformity in several vertebrae at the same time. At this stage, osteoporosis is already obvious.
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A known form of this disease is osteoporosis of the hip joint. In its genesis, it is no different from osteoporosis of other bones, except for localization in the area of the same name. The most vulnerable place in this manifestation of the disease is the neck of the femur. A fracture of the presented area in older people quite often ends in death or the inability to move in the usual normal manner.
In the vast majority, only endoprosthetics makes it possible to fully restore the functioning of the hip joint.
Osteoporosis of the presented type can have the following three types of localization:
local - in this case, there is a decrease in the density of bone tissue and the tip of the femur at the initial stage of such ailments as specific necrosis of the tip of the femur and Perthes disease;
regional - it is formed exclusively with arthrosis of the hip joint;
common - develops in connection with circulatory dysfunction in the lower extremities.
Osteoporosis of the hip joint can develop as a consequence of systemic osteoporosis, which is much more typical for this disease.
With this form of the disease, bone tissue loses the ability to maintain optimal physiological loads. Total damage to the hip and knee joints in this case is provoked by the fact that it is primarily they that bear the most significant load during movement.
Osteoporosis of the hip joint begins to develop for a whole list of reasons:
long-term loss of motor functions of the lower extremities during long-term treatment of fractures, dislocations and other injuries. This causes atrophy of motor functions, which is almost impossible to bring to a normal state;
a significant load on one limb if the work of the second has been removed or impaired. This option also negatively affects the functioning of a particular limb, as a result of which it loses muscle memory;
a complication of blood circulation in some specific conditions. We are talking about burns, frostbite, phlegmon (inflammatory or purulent decomposition of tissues) and others, which also become catalysts for muscle and tissue atrophy;
A special form of osteoporosis of the hip joints in women should be considered transient osteoporosis. It forms in females in the later stages of pregnancy and in males between the ages of 30 and 40.
This form of the disease can be detected by x-ray or palpation (in some cases). Timely detection is very important, because this will make it possible to begin adequate treatment as early as possible.
Regardless of the reasons for the manifestation of the presented disease, physical therapy should be considered, first of all, mandatory components of the treatment process. It is this that makes it possible to bring metabolic processes in bone tissue into shape, regulate the degree of joint mobility and muscle activity. Such recovery takes a very long time, and the older the person, the more complications it goes through.
A strict, calibrated nutritional schedule and frequent exposure to passive and active sun are very important. The second makes it possible to make the production of vitamin D faster and, accordingly, strengthen bone tissue. It is also possible to take medications, but only as prescribed by a specialist. These can be either drugs containing calcium and vitamin D3 (or its other metabolites), or bisphosphonates. It is not advisable for women over 70 to take any hormonal medications. However, sometimes this is the only way to bring the structure of bone tissue back to normal.
A sufficient number of methods have been developed to diagnose osteoporosis. Radiography makes it possible to detect depletion of bone tissue only when their loss has reached more than 30%. Therefore, it makes sense to resort to this method exclusively in case of a secondary degree of the disease.
A more modern method, which is almost always carried out in cases of osteoporosis, is to analyze the height of the spine and calculate their relationship. Densitometry should be considered the optimal method. This is what makes it possible to most accurately indicate the degree of bone tissue density, the ratio of calcium in the human body, as well as the number of muscle and fat deposits.
This method should be considered the safest, because it is the only one that does not use so-called isotope irradiation methods, which are clearly harmful to humans. It is based on determining skeletal density and identifies mineral and other active components of bone tissue. Its advantage is the speed of obtaining results and complete painlessness.
Also, one should not underestimate the standard blood and urine tests, which make it possible to really assess the state of phosphorus-calcium metabolism.
Data such as:
A general calcium analysis is one of the fundamental specific components of bone tissue, the most important trace element that takes part in the creation of the skeleton, the functioning of the heart muscle, nervous and muscular activity, as well as blood clotting and all other processes. Variations in the form and stage of osteoporosis are reflected in various shifts in the degree of calcium concentration. Optimal calcium levels are as follows: from 2.2 to 2.65 mmol per liter.
Inorganic phosphorus is a component of the mineral substance of bone tissue, which is present in the human body as salts (calcium and magnesium phosphates) and takes part in the process of bone tissue formation and cellular energy metabolism. 85% of all phosphorus is located in the bones. Modifications in terms of the ratio of phosphorus in the blood can be noted with all kinds of changes in bone tissue, we are not just talking about osteoporosis. Optimal phosphorus levels should be considered from 0.85 to 1.45 micromol per liter.
The substance parathyroid hormone, which is produced by the parathyroid glands and is responsible for the exchange of calcium and phosphorus in the body. Identification of the concentration of parathyroid hormone can provide the most important information base for identifying various forms of osteoporosis. Optimal parathyroid hormone levels are from 9.5 to 75.0 pg per ml. This ranges from 0.7 to 5.6 pmol per liter.
Deoxypyridonoline, which is referred to as DPID, is a designation for the degree of bone destruction. It can be detected in urine. Urinary excretion increases with postmenopausal osteoporosis, osteomalacia, thyrotoxicosis, and initial hyperparathyroidism.
Optimal DPID values vary by gender:
for males it is from 2.3 to 5.4 nmol;
for a woman it is from 3.0 to 7.4 nmol.
Osteocalcin is the main specific protein of bone tissue, which takes an active part in the process of bone repair and the production of new tissue of this type. Excessively high levels of osteocalcin are present in the initial stage of hyperparathyroidism, in those who have hyperthyroidism and acromegaly. In postmenopausal osteoporosis, it is within the optimal range or increased. With osteomyelation and renal osteodystrophy, the osteocalcin ratio decreases. The presented examination is necessary to detect osteoporosis and control treatment, with an increase in the calcium ratio in human blood.
The optimal osteocalcin levels are:
men - from 12.0 to 52.1 ng per ml;
premenopausal women - from 6.5 to 42.3 ng per ml;
postmenopausal women – from 5.4 to 59.1 ng per ml
Thus, in the process of diagnosing osteoporosis in women, it is important to pay attention to any fluctuations in data and carry out all available research. This is what will make it possible to make an accurate, timely diagnosis and, as a result, receive optimal treatment that will help in the shortest possible time.
Osteoporosis is treated with medication; people with endocrine system disorders are prescribed medications that will help restore hormonal levels. Older people are prescribed nutritional supplements rich in calcium and vitamin D. Women during menopause are prescribed hormone replacement therapy, as well as bisphosphonates.
Also, patients can sometimes be prescribed physical therapy and massage, all in small dosages - due to the fragility of the bones. If necessary, they may prescribe wearing special support corsets.
It is not possible to be fully treated for osteoporosis, but it is possible to learn to live with it and stop the further development of the disease. To do this, there is a need for walks, jogging, and dancing. All this can provide bone tissue with the healthy “stress” it needs and make it stronger. Such activities will provide an opportunity to strengthen muscles and modify coordination and balance.
Another ideal way to treat osteoporosis, which is recommended for all women, should be considered a “healthy” diet with an individually selected ratio of calcium and vitamin D. It is best to consult a balanced diet, which is based on the postulates of the food pyramid.
In this case, it is especially necessary to make sure that the patient receives the required amount of not only calcium, but also vitamin D. This can happen both in the process of eating food and when using nutritional supplements.
One of the most modern methods of treating this disease in women is bisphosphonates. They are the most stable analogues of pyrophosphates that form naturally. They function on the female body in this way: they are integrated into the structure of bone tissue, remain in it for a long period of time and slow down bone reservation by reducing the activity of osteoclasts.
At the moment, bisphosphonates should be considered a recognized method for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis not only in women, but also in men.
Studies that have been successfully conducted on many thousands of patients have demonstrated that bisphosphonates:
absolutely not dangerous;
Well tolerated by the human body;
have few side effects;
inhibit bone reservation;
have a positive effect on increasing bone mineral density (BMD);
reduce the likelihood of fractures.
Today, only a certain number of bisphosphonates are used in active practice, namely alendronate, risendronate, ibondronate, and zoledric acid. They are characterized by a variety of routes and methods of introduction into the body.
Alindronate should be considered the most famous and well-studied bisphosphonate. Its degree of effectiveness has been proven in numerous examinations of those with osteoporosis. Studies were also carried out in the presence of fractures in the vertebral area.
This drug is also effective in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. On average, alindronate reduces the likelihood of fractures of various locations by 50%, and the likelihood of more specific fractures in the vertebral area by 90%.
This medicine is prescribed in a dosage of 70 mg, that is, one tablet, once a week. For postmenopausal osteoporosis, risendronate is also used at a dosage of 30 mg per week.
In addition to the previously presented first-line methods in the treatment of osteoporosis, salmon calcitonins can be used in some cases. This remedy is a specific analogue of the endocrine gland hormone calcitonin, which takes an active part in restoring calcium homeostasis.
A special feature of the drug “Miacalcic”, which contains salmon calcitonin, should be considered that it significantly reduces the risk of fractures while excluding the obvious dynamics of the disease. This became possible due to its positive effect on the quality of bone tissue (their micro and macroarchitecture).
The likelihood of new fractures forming in the spine during treatment with Miacalcicom is reduced by 36%. At the same time, the drug is characterized by one more parameter, which is actively used in active medical practice: “Miacalcic” produces an obvious analgesic effect for those sensations that are provoked by fractures.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should also be noted. It is she who can boast of a high degree of effectiveness among postmenopausal females. There is a serious side effect from the presented therapy, which is venous thrombosis. Therefore, in the process of prescribing this treatment, the woman must be informed about the possible complications.
But, despite this, it is HRT that remains a fundamental preventive measure for female representatives with menopause under 45 years of age. In addition, this is a remedy that really effectively relieves all vegetative symptoms of the clinical type that are characteristic of menopause.
In each individual case, the problem of prescribing HRT to a woman requires a thorough gynecological and mammological examination and monitoring.
If you experience constant pain in the lower back, certain exercises that strengthen your back muscles can be quite effective. Lifting heavy objects and falling can only make symptoms worse. Therefore, constant physical activity is recommended.
Preventing the onset of osteoporosis is many times easier than curing it. Preventative measures include maintaining or increasing the degree of bone density through the use of the required calcium ratio. There is also a need for physical exercise with weights and, for certain categories, taking active medications.
Special exercises with pressure on the bones, such as walking and running up flights of stairs, also have a positive effect on increasing the degree of bone tissue density. The same exercises that are not associated with such a load - swimming, do not have any effect on the degree of bone density. Therefore, it is very important to consult with a specialist and under no circumstances engage in self-treatment. This can be fraught with even greater complications in osteoporosis in women.
In order to be examined for the presence of osteoporosis, it is advisable to contact such specialists as an endocrinologist, rheumatologist, gynecologist and orthopedic traumatologist. Such an impressive number of doctors is necessary because the female body is a single whole and osteoporosis can be caused by a variety of malfunctions in the body.
This means that it will be necessary to treat not only the presenting illness, but also what triggered it. To detect deeper problems, it is necessary to be examined by a significant number of specialists. After reaching the age of 40, it is necessary to be examined by each of the doctors presented at least once a year. This approach will make it possible to prevent the onset of the disease and help mitigate its manifestations, in particular, to prevent fractures.
First of all, it is necessary to undergo examinations by an endocrinologist and gynecologist, who will indicate the need for tests for hormone groups and, if the need arises, will refer you to a rheumatologist or orthopedist. It is these specialists who determine adequate treatment and will help solve all emerging health problems.
Author of the article: Valentina Ivanovna Zubolenko, endocrinologist
If your knee is swollen and hurts, life turns into hell. It is impossible to walk, but even just lying down or sitting seems incredibly difficult. What are the causes of pain and how to get rid of them?
It is important to know! Doctors are shocked: “An effective and affordable remedy for joint pain exists. " Read more.
The knee can become swollen, painful, and unable to bend due to various diseases. The most common reasons:
Each of them has its own symptoms, so if the knee is swollen, does not bend and hurts, pay attention to the following points: how the pain manifested itself, its nature and duration, after which the knee began to hurt - is this due to physical activity or injury, in which moment the tissue around the knee began to swell.
It is better to entrust the treatment of a swollen knee to professionals, and answer the questions listed above before going to the doctor. This will help the specialist accurately determine the causes of pain and prescribe appropriate treatment.
During an exacerbation of gout, the knee becomes very swollen and redness of the skin is observed.
Treatment of gout with knee pain involves normalizing the metabolism of uric acid in the body. This is achieved by:
Immediately at the moment of an attack, the drug colchicine will help relieve pain, and it will also shorten the duration of the attack. In the intervals between attacks, it is necessary to take physical procedures and strictly follow a diet.
Leaching calcium from bones makes them brittle and less dense. Because of this, all kinds of cracks or fractures of the bone occur, and the knee joint can become very swollen and painful.
Since bones are fragile, the possibility of recurrent fractures and cracks is very high, so sometimes with osteoporosis, the knees hurt and swell constantly.
Self-treatment of knee pain in this case involves changing your lifestyle - eating right, getting rid of bad habits and gradually increasing physical activity. These measures are aimed at improving the condition of the bones in the knee joint - increasing their hardness and reducing porosity. Drug treatment for osteoporosis of the knee joint can only be prescribed by a specialist.
If the knee is swollen, painful, does not bend, and there is a suspicion of osteoporosis, consultation with a specialist is required. Osteoporosis is a very insidious disease, its manifestations on the knee joint are only a small part of the iceberg.
This is a pathological process of inflammation of the knee tendons. The knee hurts quite strongly in the area of the lower part of the patella, the swelling is clearly pronounced. Characterized by dull pain, at the initial stage after physical activity, as the disease progresses - both during and before exercise.
The cause of inflammation can be not only infection, but also a violation of calcium metabolism, and excessive physical stress on the legs.
Even “advanced” joint problems can be cured at home! Just remember to apply this once a day.
In cases of tendonitis, an ice compress is good for relieving knee pain and reducing swelling. Your physical activity regimen should definitely be reconsidered. For treatment, a specialist will prescribe a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - indomethacin, ortofen.
All non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract, so they should be used orally in cases of diseases of the digestive system with caution and only with a full stomach.
Pain in arthritis of the knee joint is characterized by intensification in a position of partial flexion or extension. The knee has a massive swelling in front of the patella.
In the initial stages, when damage is minimal, the traditional treatment regimen works well:
In advanced cases of knee arthritis, the only possible and truly effective treatment is surgical joint replacement.
To treat pain in the knee joint and improve flexion/extension, warming ointment for joint pain – finalgon, histalgon – is very helpful.
Recommendation: A proven, but unfortunately forgotten, way to soothe arthritis pain is dry heat. You need to wrap your knees in a woolen scarf. Sheep's wool works best, but if you don't have it, then any will do.
With a fairly active lifestyle, for example among athletes, knee injuries are a common occurrence. Bruises, dislocations - they cause pain in the knee joints, swelling of the soft tissues around the affected joint and difficulties in bending.
Treatment for bruises involves resting the swollen knee and significantly reducing the load on the joint. To reduce swelling, you can use absorbable ointments with bodyaga. Immediately after the injury, an ice compress is applied to relieve swelling, and the next day dry heat is indicated.
When your knees hurt, especially if they don’t bend, you can treat them with folk remedies:
We must not forget that using folk remedies it is necessary to carry out therapeutic treatment. They can only complement the work of medications, but not replace it.
To combat salt deposits in the knee, black radish will help - you need to eat 2-3 tablespoons of grated vegetable without salt every day before meals. Baking soda baths (1 tablespoon per liter jar of water) can also cope with the same problem, after which it is good to lubricate the stiff knee with olive or sunflower oil or an oil solution of vitamin A.
Physical activity on the sore leg, when the knees hurt, should be carefully monitored and increased only if there have been some positive changes in treatment.
For the treatment and prevention of DISEASES OF THE JOINTS and SPINE, our readers use the method of quick and non-surgical treatment recommended by leading rheumatologists in Russia, who decided to speak out against pharmaceutical lawlessness and presented a medicine that REALLY TREATS! We have become familiar with this technique and decided to bring it to your attention. Read more.
Naturally, you should review your diet, adjust your diet towards increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruits, and reduce weight.
But orthopedist Valentin Dikul claims that a truly effective remedy for joint pain exists! Read more >>>
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A typical situation is when, against the background of complete well-being, a person goes to bed in the evening. And in the morning, when he tries to get out of bed, he is pierced by a sharp pain on the inside of his foot. So much so that he sinks back down with a groan. This is how the first acquaintance with gout occurs.
The outbreak during the period of exacerbation.
According to the described scenario, the disease manifests itself in more than 90% of cases. In addition to terrible pain in the area of the big toe, swelling and hyperemia also appear. The resulting “bump” is hot to the touch and painful even with light pressure. The size of the defect depends on gouty activity and does not affect the severity of pain - even a small tubercle can hurt greatly.
The disease is not limited to the joints of the foot.
Gout is a joint disease that occurs due to metabolic disorders, which is manifested by the deposition of uric acid salts . The process provokes severe inflammation. The resulting swelling is called tophi . It sometimes breaks through and a white crystalline mass is released from it.
Uric acid crystals are in the form of small needles. They easily injure tissue. In addition, the salt deposits themselves are perceived by the body as a foreign mass. The immune system triggers a cascade of inflammatory reactions aimed at rejecting or eliminating the formation.
During inflammation, the adjacent tissues swell, and the temperature at the site of the lesion rises. This process is called gouty arthritis.
One of the complications of gout is sepsis, which causes death. This articular pathology is not such a harmless disease. It can be deadly if not treated promptly.
Uric acid salts are deposited in the joint capsules for two main reasons.
This is, first of all, a violation of the diet. It is the diet , since harmful eating habits play a primary role here.
The body's metabolism is disrupted by the abuse of meat dishes, namely beef . The fact is that beef meat contains a large amount of purine protein, in excess of which the body cannot cope with the “utilization” of uric acid and “dumps” its remains into the joints.
The second main provocateur is alcohol, especially red wine. Intemperance in eating meat and wine results in gouty arthritis.
Little and alcohol should be consumed very moderately.
In the old days, gout was called “the disease of the aristocrats.” It was noticed that wealthy people suffered from it. A rich man could afford to eat large amounts of meat and red wine . It was, in a certain sense, luxury. The poor population had difficulties with meat dishes. Therefore, there were practically no gout patients among common people. The disease preferred the “well-fed” of this world.
Various diseases, such as diabetes mellitus or Graves' disease, can disrupt the normal course of metabolism. In addition, poor kidney function is a common cause of insufficient utilization of uric acid. In this case, gout is cured after normalization of the excretory system.
The share of gout in the total number of arthritis is about 5%. Out of 100 thousand healthy people, approximately 250 are diagnosed with gout . The disease affects mainly the male part of the population. This is due to the fact that the male body produces more uric acid, which is necessary to ensure increased endurance during physical activity.
In women, gout is more common during menopause. When fertility declines, the body reduces estrogen production, which increases the concentration of uric acid.
Gout can be successfully treated at home. A radical change in diet will help relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of repeated exacerbations.
The bumps can be very painful.
The main treatment for gout is taking anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. The effect of taking them will be noticeable if the patient adheres to the diet. To create a therapeutic diet, it is recommended to consult a nutritionist.
Dietary nutrition for gout involves the use of the following dishes as the basis of the diet:
Separate mention should be made about meat. Its consumption needs to be reduced. You cannot completely give up meat dishes, since protein is necessary for metabolism. For gout, boiled poultry, fish and seafood, for example, shellfish and cephalopods (squid), are allowed. The sausages and sausages beloved by many should be excluded.
This is what the diet of a person with gout should look like.
One of the requirements is the transition to fractional meals. The diet involves eating 5-6 times a day. A necessary condition is to have a fasting day, during which only vegetables are consumed.
In order for uric acid to be effectively eliminated from the body, the patient must drink plenty of fluids. The minimum norm is 2 liters. Of course, we are not just talking about ordinary drinking water. You can use all kinds of berry decoctions. Lingonberry fruit drinks show a very good effect. The consumption of red juices from grapes, cherries and tomatoes should be limited. Gout is a real challenge for coffee lovers - it is not recommended for gout.
One of the requirements for people suffering from gout is a sharp reduction in salt. This does not mean that food should become bland, but food should be salted in moderation. You should also avoid mayonnaise and other sauces based on animal fats. Since excess body weight provokes gout attacks, the diet should be low in calories. You should forget about alcohol for gout.
During exacerbations of gout, meat and fish foods should be completely avoided. Fasting days must be done every other day. At this time, eat only fruits and vegetables. For acute gout, the following approximate diet is recommended:
This menu will relieve acute symptoms within 2-3 days. After this, you can return to your normal diet.
Traditional methods include the following:
Compresses and ointments are applied to sore joints. Baths are used to immerse a sore foot in a medicinal solution. Tinctures are used internally to normalize metabolic processes.
Baths with chamomile infusion are used to relieve pain. The flowers are poured with boiling water. To increase penetrating ability, the water can be slightly salted. The duration of the treatment session is 15-20 minutes. The pain usually goes away during this time. This remedy is recommended during exacerbations of gouty arthritis.
2. A decoction of conifer cones.
The decoction is intended for internal use. Unopened spruce cones show the greatest effectiveness. The compounds with which they are saturated literally “wash away” salt build-ups from the articular surfaces. This remedy is effective both in the treatment and prevention of the disease. The process of preparing the medicine is simple. In the evening, 1-2 cones are poured with 2 cups of boiling water, and the broth is left overnight. And you can start treatment in the morning - drink liquid 3 times a day before meals.
Mustard powder activates metabolism in the affected area and promotes the disappearance of gouty growths. For the compress, you need to prepare mustard pulp with the addition of baking soda. For a compress, you need to take any cotton napkin or an ordinary waffle towel. Before applying a bandage, it is recommended to warm up the joint, and it is best to steam it. After applying the compress, it must be wrapped in polyethylene. Exposure time is all night, that is, 7-8 hours. Usually within 2 weeks of use the patient feels relief. At least he is regaining his previous motor activity.
4. Decoction of bay leaf.
Several bay leaves are poured into 1-2 glasses of water and boiled for several minutes. You should not cover the container with a lid, as essential oils that negatively affect the kidneys should evaporate from the broth. The prepared broth is wrapped in a thick cloth, for example, a towel and kept for about 3 hours. The product is drunk per day and effectively cleanses the joints of salt deposits.
5. Fish meat compress.
Any fish is suitable for this compress, even fish sticks. You need to make minced meat from it. For convenience, it can be divided into portions and stored in the freezer as a reserve. Shredded fish meat is applied to the sore spot, wrapped in plastic film, and a woolen or thick cotton sock is put on top. If the compress is not applied to the foot, then the joint can be wrapped with any suitable fabric. The procedure is carried out in the evening and the compress is left overnight. The course of such treatment is 10-12 days.
Traditional methods should be considered as additional means that help the main drugs. Only an integrated approach, including drug therapy, proper diet and the use of traditional methods, can radically change the situation and permanently save a person from painful joint pain.
From a physiological point of view, the provocateur of male gout is a higher level of uric acid in their body. Male blood serum contains, on average, 350 µmol/l, and in female blood this figure is approximately 250 µmol/l . This seemingly insignificant difference determines the unenviable fate of men in relation to the disease.
Picture of the joint inside.
Typically, men eat more meat due to the fact that they work hard and physically. Plus, drinking alcohol also contributes to exacerbation.
As for age, the average age of gout is 50 years. It is during this period that the kidneys begin to weaken and secrete uric acid worse. The comforting fact is that if a man is faced with this problem after 55-60 years, then he can be calm - he will not develop gout until his death.
Male gout not only occurs more often, but also manifests itself brighter and larger. If in women gouty arthritis affects mainly the foot, more precisely, the joint of the big toe and metatarsus, then in men other joints can also become inflamed. For example, so-called atypical gout affects the spine, where tophi form. And this disease is diagnosed mainly in the male population - there are very few women with this diagnosis. Gout is also sometimes detected in the ankle.
Gout in the stronger sex is almost always accompanied by the formation of stones in the kidneys or bladder. If a urologist discovers such problems in a man, then you can almost guarantee that this person is predisposed to gout, and the formation of tophi is only a matter of time. This is why it is important to check your joints for gout when diagnosing kidney stones.
Therapy for the treatment of the disease is aimed at actively removing crystals from the body. For this purpose, medications are prescribed that stimulate kidney function and increase the intensity of metabolic processes in general.
The patient also takes anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during treatment. A set of physical exercises that activate diuresis and increase blood circulation helps. This is necessary to combat stagnation that leads to the formation of deposits.
The causes of female gout are also associated with weakened functioning of the excretory system. In particular, the excretion of salts – urates – is impaired.
The causes of female gout are approximately the same as in the case of male disease. This is an insufficiently effective processing of uric acid by the excretory system, or, more precisely, a violation in the excretion of its salts - urates - from the body. This partly explains the difference in age between patients of both sexes. The fact is that the female hormone, estrogen, is responsible for the proper utilization of these salts. While a woman is of childbearing age, it is produced in sufficient quantities. With the onset of menopause, this hormone ceases to be produced, and urates begin to accumulate in the body, depositing, in particular, in the joints.
Result of surgical removal of tophi.
The provocateur of the disease is excessive consumption of meat, especially processed meat - these are sausages, sausages, boiled pork and others. In addition, they contain a lot of salt. A large amount of it impairs kidney function, which leads to improper utilization of urate salts.
Gout is more common in obese people. And the number of women who are overweight is quite large, which is another cause of the disease in women.
The joint between the big toe and the metatarsus is most affected by gouty arthritis. A large knobby protrusion (tophi) on the inside of the foot hurts very much and makes it difficult to move even on bare feet. Wearing shoes turns out to be impossible at all. The situation is aggravated by the fact that women's shoes are deliberately made to be tight - to make a woman's foot look miniature. However, tophi can form not only in this joint. Other joints also suffer from gout, for example, the ankle, the finger joints of the hands, and the wrist joint itself.
The treatment course involves taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. As additional measures, you can use folk remedies. Drugs that inhibit the synthesis of uric acid and activate the removal of its salts from the body are helpful. It is not recommended to drink salicylates (aspirin, etc.), as they increase the production of uric acid.
In the modern world, reaching old age is considered a merit of the development of medical science. Indeed, just some two or three hundred years ago, the average life expectancy was limited to thirty to forty years, and old people were a rarity.
The cause was constant epidemics of infectious diseases. After the advent of antibiotics, humanity began to live longer, and in our time the main causes of death are cardiovascular diseases.
But old age, in addition to atherosclerosis and a high risk of myocardial damage and the likelihood of stroke, carries with it the appearance of such an unpleasant condition as osteoporosis. Let's take a closer look at this problem.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone density decreases, causing it to become brittle and prone to pathological fractures. In other words, osteoporosis is increased “porosity” of the skeleton.
The causes of osteoporosis are many. In short, the main reason is the predominance of catabolism (decomposition processes) in bone tissue over anabolism (growth and absorption of nutrients). The most common conditions that lead to osteoporosis are:
In addition to these reasons, there are other conditions that may contribute to an increase in the incidence of the disease in the population. Thus, belonging to the European or Mongoloid race increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. It is important that African Americans are practically not prone to this disease.
First of all, bone damage can be general (widespread) and local, for example, osteoporosis of the hip joint. Generalized osteoporosis is also called systemic osteoporosis.
Also, the disease can be primary (if there is no cause) and secondary (for example, with long-term treatment with hormonal drugs, or with ovarian apoplexy).
In addition, the structure of bone tissue damage can be differentiated into cortical (superficial bone tissue), trabecular (impairment in the structure of the spongy substance) and mixed.
As mentioned above, women are three times more likely to suffer from osteoporosis than men, especially after the cessation of menstruation, in postmenopausal age.
This is due to the fact that estrogens, which are produced by the ovaries, prevent the “leaching” of calcium from bone tissue. Looking ahead, we can say that in women one of the effective ways to treat this condition is hormone replacement therapy. The symptoms of osteoporosis in women are therefore more numerous than in men.
Clinical symptoms of osteoporosis are numerous, but not all of them are local, that is, directly related to the skeleton. Thus, there are general manifestations of sparse bone tissue, for example, such as:
Finally, the most common symptom of osteoporosis is also its complication - pathological fractures.
With this disease, a fracture can occur under the influence of a very weak load, for example, when trying to lift a saucepan of water, a fracture of the radius bone occurs in the wrist area. To avoid this, it is necessary to diagnose osteoporosis long before it causes trouble.
For some reason, some people believe that bone radiography can give an affirmative answer to any degree of osteoporosis. In fact, this is not so: the “X-ray” shows only a fairly “advanced” process, in which the loss of bone tissue exceeds 25 - 30%.
One of the best ways to diagnose the disease is densitometry. This is an absolutely painless and safe way to directly measure bone density, as well as the mutual ratio of the mineral and organic components in the bones.
But, despite densitometry, the diagnosis of osteoporosis requires the performance of some laboratory tests.
Research methods reflecting the state of balance in the body of phosphorus and calcium are of great importance, since these two elements are found in bone tissue in certain relationships:
Drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis, photo
Modern treatment of osteoporosis is a complex measure and is inseparable from proper nutrition, the use of vitamin D, and medications containing phosphorus-calcium supplements. The most well-known methods of treatment are:
In addition to the above treatment methods, patients with osteoporosis are advised to undergo special non-stress exercise therapy, as well as moderate massage.
The most famous and at the same time severe consequence of osteoporosis is fractures. You can even put an equal sign between these concepts: osteoporosis = fracture. And one of the most dangerous is a hip fracture.
The fact is that immobility and bedriddenness with this type of fracture can cause hypostatic pneumonia, intestinal paresis, the formation of bedsores, and as a result, an elderly person can die from the development of infection and autointoxication a very short time after the fracture.
Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of osteoporosis, the appearance of pain or other symptoms, it is better to conduct densitometry.
Osteoporosis is a disease that lies at the intersection of many medical disciplines. The search for its causes most often begins in the office of a gynecologist, endocrinologist or therapist.
Sometimes, in the case when the manifestation of the disease manifests itself as a pathological fracture, it may be a traumatologist - an orthopedist.
Preventing osteoporosis is the essence of what can simply be called a “healthy lifestyle.” Of course, preventing bone loss is much easier than treating its advanced forms or dealing with multiple fractures.
The most important areas of prevention are a diet containing foods containing calcium and vitamin D, sun exposure, and physical activity.
It is important to know that not all physical exercises are equally beneficial: there must be pressure on the bone, so a type of load such as swimming will not be enough.
But cycling, aerobics and dancing are all excellent means for preventing such an unpleasant disease as osteoporosis.