Definition
Osteopenia. Osteopenia is a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal. It is considered to occur before osteoporosis. However, not every person diagnosed with osteopenia will develop osteoporosis. Osteopenia is not a disease but is a marker for the risk of fractures (Torpy, Lynm, & Glass, 2011).
Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis (“porous bone”) is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by decreased bone mass, a loss of microarchitectural bone tissue, and a failure of the bone modulus (Cranney, Jamal, Tsang, Josse, & Leslie, 2007; Gardiner, El Miedany, & Toth, 2007; Osteoporosis Education, 2011). The individuals affected by this illness are susceptible to fracture.
In the United States, an estimated 44 million adults are living with either osteoporosis (ten million) or low bone mass (Osteoporosis Education, 2011; U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services PHS, 2004). Several risk factors can influence the development of osteoporosis, including age (older age), race...
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Nahm, ES. (2013). Osteopenia/Osteoporosis. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1468
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