The country will have never faced this type of aging population before and that worries Dr. John G. Skedros.

What I'm afraid we might have on our hands is an epidemic of hip fractures and those can become deadly, said Skedros, an orthopedic surgeon and clinical densitometrist at the Utah Bone and Joint Center in Salt Lake City.

He worked in Ogden for three years before moving last November after receiving a two-year $100,000 research grant to look at the underlying causes of Osteoporosis and to study how and why cells that typically maintain the bone are so impaired as people age.

The grant was given to Skedros by the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation in Rosemont, Ill. He said he is obsessed with helping patients avoid fractures and broken bones caused by Osteoporosis.

The problem with Osteoporosis is that it is so silent, he said.

It remains silent until someone breaks a bone, and if that bone happens to be the hip, which is the case in most women, that can lead to all sorts of problems, he said.

While I was in Ogden, I was impressed with the number of women who came in with hip or wrist fractures and had never heard about Osteoporosis, said Skedros. For some reason or another they had slipped through the cracks and didn't get the help they needed for several months.

Skedros said it is becoming a tragic situation because 30 percent of women 55 and older will die within two years as a result of something related to a hip injury whether that be a blood clot or a loss of mobility or pneumonia. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease caused by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue that leads to bone fragility and ultimately fractures. Currently, 25 million people nationwide are affected.

Some of the risk factors include a family history of the disease, excessive tobacco, alcohol and caffeine use, thin, small builds and menopause before the age of 45.

But, Osteoporosis is a preventable disease, Skedros said, women just need to learn more about it.

Believe it or not, there are teenage girls out there with the same bone density as their mothers, he said That means we're not doing enough to educate about prevention.

Skedros said proper calcium intake, regular impact aerobics and resistance training are the keys to preventing the disease. He also said the elderly should practice any type of balancing exercises along with weight lifting. Also on the market are several medications that help once Osteoporosis sets in and people 40 years and older are encouraged to get a bone density test.

Skedros said he has also been involved in devising a plan to revolutionize the way elderly hip fracture patients are treated.

I'm working on getting another grant that I hope to pass on to every hospital in Utah, said Skedros.

The program will implement a comprehensive follow-up plan for patients who are discharged after receiving treatment for hip fractures.

I would like to see the number of deaths reduced, said Skedros. Let's avoid the deadly epidemic that is approaching. Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable.

From Healthy.net