The Irish Osteoporosis Society will hold a public lecture on osteoporosis in Clifden later this month. The organisation aims to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis by raising awareness of the symptoms and risk factors of this preventable disease.
Many people think of osteoporosis as an older person’s disease, but it can affect people of all ages, including children. Over exercising, poor nutrition, and eating disorders are among the major causes of osteoporosis in younger people.
One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Only approximately 15 per cent of people with osteoporosis are diagnosed, but the good news is that this condition is preventable and treatable in the majority of people.
Osteoporosis is often described as a silent disease, but there are early signs and symptoms to watch out for including a broken bone from a trip or fall, loss of more than two centimetres in height, head protruding forward from the body, the development of a hump on the upper back, undiagnosed back pain, and changes in body shape or size.
Ninety per cent of hip fractures in older people are due to osteoporosis, and only 30 per cent of people over 60 who fracture a hip will regain their independence.
The public talk, entitled ‘Osteoporosis, Everything you need to know’, will be delivered by Michele O’Brien, national health promotion officer with the Irish Osteoporosis Society, in the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel, Clifden, on Saturday February 20 from 11.45am to 1.15pm. The lecture is free but places are limited and early booking is advised. To book a place contact 1890 252 751 or e-mail [email protected]
