Osteoarthritis Can Be Considered Genetic

Some people wonder that no matter how hard they tried stay fit and healthy through regular exercise, they tend to develop osteoarthritis, medical experts says. One factor that is being considered is that it might be genetic, which runs in the families, and there appears in particular to be a genetic link among women yet was advised to avoid metal-on-metal hip replacements.

 

Osteoarthritis has in the past been considered a predominantly stubborn disease affecting more people than any other form of arthritis. It is characterized by progressive loss of cartilage and bony margin overgrowth. However, it is now realized that the problem is not simply a degenerative cartilage disorder but a problem of all the tissues involved in maintaining joint stability, according to the arthritis.co.za website.

Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the end of the bone in a joint. If a person has a healthy one, it allows bones to glide over each other. It also helps absorb the shock of movement, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculosketal and Skin Diseases says.

Women whose mothers developed osteoarthritis will probably find that they will develop it in the same joints at around the same age.

The other factor that is also considered a trigger in the development of osteoarthritis is the hormones. A landmark study shows that female hormones have an effect on the cartilage that sits between the bones of the joints and cushions of the bones to top the pain and allow the joints to move smoothly.

In laboratory studies of cells that form cartilage, experts have found that the female hormone estrogen protects cartilage from inflammation. Inflammation may lead to osteoarthritis. But after menopause, when women’s estrogen levels go down, they lose that protection and may have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis even if they are on hormone-replacement therapy (HRT).

A recent study of 1.3 million women in their 50s found that hormonal and reproductive factors, such as going through puberty at an early age, having more children, and taking hormone-replacement therapy, were all related to whether they had had knee or hip joint replacement surgery, but the researchers don’t know what these connections mean. To know more about related issues about hip replacement, you may check the DePuy ASR Hip Replacement recall website.

Image Credit to:

pamf.org/sports/king/osteoarthritis.html

URL REFERENCES:

Arthritis.co.za/osteoarthritis_update.html

Niams.nih.gov/health_info/osteoarthritis_ff.pdf

arthritis.org/who-gets-osteoarthritis.php

Women With Breast Cancer At Risk of Bone Loss

Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and who are going through several treatments stand at risk of developing bone loss. This may cause osteoporosis or injury that may lead to surgery such as the artificial hip replacements of DePuy Orthopedic, which has stirred several lawsuits, although it doesn’t guarantee future recovery despite Depuy settlements.

Osteoporosis is a disease showing that means a person’s bones are getting weak and more likely to break.

It has been shown in several studies that several breast cancer treatments may trigger bone loss. Because  women are aging, they are more susceptible in developing weak bones and are about twice as likely as men to develop osteoporosis after they hit 50.  That is why it is important that while young, all women should start keeping their bones healthy, according to the breast cancer.org website.

Chemotherapy is a certain breast cancer treatments which may speed up bone loss or cause a person to lose more bone than they normally would because its medicines can have a direct effect on a person’s bone health. In other situations, some women who are close to menopause and getting chemotherapy may have significant bone loss because chemotherapy causes early menopause. If chemotherapy pushes your body into menopause, bone loss may begin while you’re still having treatment and continue after treatment is done.

Meanwhile, aromatase inhibitors are also considered to cause bone loss because it is used to prevent the formation of estrogen. The loss of estrogen can lead to bone loss while on medication. It is used more often in postmenopausal women identified with hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer.

If an aromatase inhibitor or chemotherapy is needed, discuss this with your doctor on how you can protect your bones during the medication This is especially important if you have any of the risk factors for bone loss due to being older, being postmenopausal, being small and thin, a family history of osteoporosis or broken bones, having low bone mass (osteopenia),smoking not getting enough calcium or vitamin D and not exercising, having more than two alcoholic drinks several times a week having one of the following medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism or hyperparathyroidism, chronic lung disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Cushing’s disease, multiple sclerosis and arthritis.  On the other hand, to know more about issues concerning DePuy, one may visit the depuy hip recall center for more details.

Image Credit to:

medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/11-2008/causes-of-bone-loss-in-breast-cancer-survivors.html

URL REFERENCES:

niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Pregnancy/default.asp

breastcancer.org/tips/bone_health/breast_cancer.jsp

Joint Hip Replacement Procedures: Helpful with Severe Osteoarthritis?

Osteoporosis of the hip, which is characterized by joint inflexibility, pain, and severe leg impairments, affects more than 20 million Americans. This is often due to the degeneration of the articular cartilage brought by old age or the inflammation of the tissues surrounding the hip joints as a result of physical trauma. Its treatment is often directed at reducing pain and enhancing joint functionality which are often achieved when treatment is started at an earlier phase of the disease, medical experts say. As this is a progressive disorder, a surgical replacement of the hip joint may be necessary in the advanced stages of the disease. With the recent reports of negative complications linked to hip replacement devices, how do osteoarthritis sufferers benefit from it?

 

With a deformed or extensively destructed bone and eroded cartilage, some parts of the affected bone may hypertrophy with the tissues and the muscles surrounding it develop an inflammation. A total hip replacement procedure may be the only solution to minimize all the patient’s symptoms.

 

With this surgical procedure, the diseased joint is carefully taken out and replaced with an artificial device. These may be made of plastic, ceramic, or metal alloys. With proper precaution, these artificial joints may last up to 20 years of usage without complications. However, not all patients are the same, and some may develop a reaction to the material of the device, especially the metallic ones. Metal sensitivity may be developed over time as metals corrode after prolonged exposure to body fluids.

 

For this reason, patients are advised to weigh all the other options when it comes to correcting bone damages in osteoarthritis, before deciding on taking such a risky path. Most of the time, a hip replacement is only opted when no other treatment works for the patient. However, for older adults, study shows hip replacement may provide better outcomes than other treatment.

 

While it may take some time before the elderly surpasses the recovery period, the long-term effects of hip replacements are highly satisfactory. Experts have associated this with their less active lifestyles. However, the elderly is still at a great risk for developing complications such as dislocations and fractures because of the increased possibility of fall incidences. Because revision procedures can be extremely complicated especially for the elderly, strict fall precaution needs to be practiced at all times.

 

After a hip joint replacement procedure, adjunctive therapies such as weight management, strengthening exercise programs, and lifestyle alterations may also be required to achieve the best results. With adequate patient education, device-related complications may be reduced or prevented.

 

 

References:

orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00213

webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/hip-replacement-surgery

sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714162618.htm