Predisposing factors for osteoporosis
1. During case presentation at your clinic, you are reviewing four women with predisposing factors for osteoporosis. Which patient is least likely to be at risk for osteoporosis?
A. Nehineza, an overweight African American female with family history of uterine cancer
B. Cristina, a Hispanic woman living a sedentary life
C. Park-Gim-Ka, an underweight Asian woman with a history of tobacco use
D. Skylar, a Caucasian woman experiencing early onset of menopause.
2. Densitometry results are given as T-scores, which values would be considered as osteopenia?
3. After prompt analysis of your patient, you decide to institute treatment for osteoporosis. Which class medication is considered as the first-line treatment? Are there any considerations to be taken prior starting therapy? Which recommendations would you provide to the patient regarding this treatment?
Sample Solution
The patient least likely to be at risk for osteoporosis is Skylar, a Caucasian woman experiencing early onset of menopause. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weak and brittle due to loss of bone density (Gunn, 2019). Individuals with certain predisposing factors are more likely to develop the condition including being an older female, having low body weight, heavier alcohol consumption and lower levels of physical activity (Cheung & Cheung 2018).
Nehineza has some predisposing factors such as family history uterine cancer though she is overweight which could potentially reduce her risk. Cristina’s sedentary lifestyle increases her chances while Park-Gim-Ka’s underweight status coupled with tobacco use make her more prone. Skylar on other hand does not possess any of these characteristics though she may experience accelerated bone mineral density loss due early onset menopause however this can be offset through healthy nutrition , regular exercise or hormone replacement therapy (HRT)(Kanis et al.,2016) .
In conclusion , Skylar appears be least at risk for developing osteoporosis among four women reviewed during case presentation given that she lacks many common predisposing factors commonly associated with it such as being an older female or having low body weight. Nevertheless it would still beneficial for her receive HRT if deemed necessary along with maintaining a balanced diet plus engaging in regular physical activity all which help reduce the chances of the developing the disease.
