Answer #1

Our skeletal system is our body’s framework. Our bones support our muscles. Without these bones, we may all look like vegetables – without built, strength, and structure. We should always take care of our bones to avoid diseases such as osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Among these two bone diseases; osteoporosis is more common because we often hear this term in health issues and milk advertisements. However, the term osteomalacia is quite new to us. Here are the details on the differences of the two so we can understand better what makes osteoporosis different from osteomalacia.

To define, osteoporosis is the degeneration of the bone. This usually happens when we grow old and our bone breaks faster than we expected. Osteomalacia is the abnormal build up of the bone which makes it unusually tender. For osteoporosis, our bones become brittle but for osteomalacia, out bones become soft.

We usually have the concept that osteoporosis is due to the lack of calcium but actually it is osteomalacia which results in the insufficiency of calcium. Osteoporosis may also be affected by lack of calcium but the main cause is decrease in the mass of the bones. When a person suffers from osteoporosis, the bone becomes hollow that’s why it breaks easily. Women are prone to osteoporosis because of the menopause an lack of oestogen (a hormone for the development of sexual characteristics).

Both osteomalacia and osteoporosis can be diagnosed in the later years because symptoms are not visible in the early stages. If a person suffers with the pain in the bones, this is already an indication that he or she may have ostoeporiosis or osteomalacia.

Treatment for osteoporosis is more on medication but there is no prevention for this disease. The drugs will just help slow down the process of degeneration. Osteomalacia may be treated by eating food rich in Vitamin D and getting extra dose of sunlight.

Exercise, proper nutrients, and enough rest are all preventive measures for osteoporosis and osteomalacia. If we want a healthy bone, then we better take care of our body now before these will degenerate and weaken when we grow old.

Answered By: shiela [67 ]