Osteoporosis and Bone Density Testing

In class this last week we have been learning about bone and the different components of bone as well as the different diseases that occur in the bones and skeletal system especially as we age. One of these diseases are Osteoporosis. As we have learned Osteoporosis is when there is a low bone mass as well as a deterioration of the bone tissue, causing holes in the bone. These problems lead to things like being more fragile and the ability to fracture more and easier. The article that I read was very interesting because it described how it was not necessary for women who at the age of 65 test normal for bone mass to receive a bone density test with large spaces of time in between such as 15 years. This is because most women whose bones test in the normal range are having bone loss much more slowly. Another interesting fact from this article is that the drug Fosamax and others like it were being used to prevent broken bones and fractures in people with osteoporosis, but it has been found that these medications can not prevent the disease itself, so the use of the medication by women with osteoporosis forever is no longer wanted.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E1D61230F93AA25752C0A9649D8B63