Before entering fully into the meaning of the term osteopenia, we are going to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this case, it must be indicated that it is a neologism that was shaped in the 19th century and that was formed from the sum of several lexical components of Greek:
-The noun “osteo”, which can be translated as “bone”.
-The word “penía”, which is synonymous with “poverty”, “lack” or “scarcity”.
The decrease in bone mass is called osteopenia . It is a condition characterized by the loss of bone mineral density .
It is important to keep in mind that bones go through a constant renewal process . Regularly, the body breaks down parts of the bone pieces and replaces them with new ones. In youth, the creation of new bone is faster than the breakdown of old bone, leading to an increase in bone mass.
However, after the age of 35 , this trend reverses. In this way, the loss of bone mass becomes faster than its generation. When the individual's bone density is below the level considered normal , it is called osteopenia.
Many times osteopenia is the previous step to osteoporosis . In this case, the body is no longer able to develop new bone at the rate of decomposition of old bone, leading to the decalcification of the pieces and the appearance of pores. While osteopenia increases the risk of a bone fracture , the chance of the bone breaking is even greater with osteoporosis.
It is important to know, in addition to what is stated, that there are other causes that can lead a person to suffer osteopenia. We are referring, for example, to hyperthyroidism, calcium deficiency, different genetic causes, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, alcoholism, smoking or Crohn's disease.
Not to mention that among these causes there are also eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, premenopause, vitamin D deficiency or rheumatoid arthritis.
To diagnose osteopenia and osteoporosis, an analysis called bone densitometry is used, which reveals bone density. For this, a measurement is made of the number of grams of certain minerals in a part of the bone: the higher the mineral content, the higher the bone density.
When performing this medical test, the results will determine whether the person in question suffers from osteopenia or not. Thus, it will be determined that anyone with a score that is between -1 and -2.5 has it. In the same way, if that result is -2.5 or below that it will be determined that you have osteoporosis. What's more, if you have this last result and, in addition, you have had different fractures throughout your entire life, it will be determined that you suffer from severe osteoporosis.
Osteopenia, although normal within the aging process, can be prevented and treated through drugs that slow bone decomposition. Doctors also usually recommend the consumption of foods with vitamin D and calcium and the regular development of physical activity .