Osteoporosis
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Your Personalized Treatment Plan
Do not limit your treatment options only to the nearest hospital.
We offer the most effective, quick and affordable treatment for osteoporosis,
thanks to the world’s largest hospital network.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a break. Osteoporosis-related breaks most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone.
Osteoporosis affects especially older women who are past menopause, are at highest risk. Medicines, healthy diet and weight-bearing exercise can help prevent bone loss or strengthen already weak bones.
Complete Recovery
No Hidden Fees
No Waiting Lists
Leading Surgeons
Private treatment in our hospital network allows you skip waiting lists while at the same time reducing the costs treatment considerably, up to 50% cheaper, in countries that are just a short flight from home. The countries listed below make excellent choices with modern hospitals and well-trained English speaking surgeons.
Our medical consultants will advise you on the best choice for your osteoporosis in one of our leading hospitals. We will evaluate your current condition, expectations and other related factors, and offer you the most suitable option, respecting your health and the individual needs of your body and lifestyle. Your health is unique and so should be your solution.
- Berlin
- Zurich
- Vienna
- Paris
- Madrid
- Milan
- Warsaw
- Istanbul
Treatment of Osteoporosis
Treatment recommendations are often based on an estimate of your risk of breaking a bone in the next 10 years using information such as the bone density test. If your risk isn’t high, treatment might not include medication and might focus instead on modifying risk factors for bone loss and falls.
Bisphosphonates
For both men and women at increased risk of broken bones, the most widely prescribed osteoporosis medications are bisphosphonates. Examples include:
- Alendronate (Binosto, Fosamax).
- Risedronate (Actonel, Atelvia).
- Ibandronate.
- Zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa).
Side effects include nausea, abdominal pain and heartburn-like symptoms. These are less likely to occur if the medicine is taken properly. Intravenous forms of bisphosphonates don’t cause stomach upset but can cause fever, headache and muscle aches.
A very rare complication of bisphosphonates is a break or crack in the middle of the thighbone. A second rare complication is delayed healing of the jawbone, called osteonecrosis of the jaw. This can occur after an invasive dental procedure, such as removing a tooth.
Denosumab
Compared with bisphosphonates, denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva) produces similar or better bone density results and reduces the chance of all types of breaks. Denosumab is delivered via a shot under the skin every six months.
Similar to bisphosphonates, denosumab has the same rare complication of causing breaks or cracks in the middle of the thighbone and osteonecrosis of the jaw. If you take denosumab, you might need to continue to do so indefinitely. Recent research indicates there could be a high risk of spinal column fractures after stopping the drug.
Hormone-related therapy
Estrogen, especially when started soon after menopause, can help maintain bone density. However, estrogen therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer and blood clots, which can cause strokes. Therefore, estrogen is typically used for bone health in younger women or in women whose menopausal symptoms also require treatment.
Raloxifene (Evista) mimics estrogen’s beneficial effects on bone density in postmenopausal women, without some of the risks associated with estrogen. Taking this drug can reduce the risk of some types of breast cancer. Hot flashes are a possible side effect. Raloxifene also may increase your risk of blood clots.
In men, osteoporosis might be linked with a gradual age-related decline in testosterone levels. Testosterone replacement therapy can help improve symptoms of low testosterone, but osteoporosis medications have been better studied in men to treat osteoporosis and thus are recommended alone or in addition to testosterone.
Bone-building medicines
If you have severe osteoporosis or if the more common treatments for osteoporosis don’t work well enough, your doctor might suggest trying:
- Teriparatide (Bonsity, Forteo). This powerful drug is similar to parathyroid hormone and stimulates new bone growth. It’s given by daily injection under the skin for up to two years.
- Abaloparatide (Tymlos) is another drug similar to parathyroid hormone. This drug can be taken for only two years.
- Romosozumab (Evenity). This is the newest bone-building medicine to treat osteoporosis. It is given as an injection every month at your doctor’s office and is limited to one year of treatment.
After you stop taking any of these bone-building medications, you generally will need to take another osteoporosis drug to maintain the new bone growth.
Complications of Osteoporosis
Complications
Types
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Complications
Bone breaks, particularly in the spine or hip, are the most serious complications of osteoporosis. Hip fractures often are caused by a fall and can result in disability and even an increased risk of death within the first year after the injury.
In some cases, broken bones in the spine can occur even if you haven’t fallen. The bones that make up your spine, called vertebrae, can weaken to the point of collapsing, which can result in back pain, lost height and a hunched-forward posture.
Types
There are two types of acoustic neuromas:
- Sporadic, unilateral acoustic neuromas. These tumors only grow on one side of the body in 95% of patients. They occur from sporadic (sudden), nonhereditary mutations. These unilateral acoustic neuromas may develop at any age, but most commonly occur in people between the ages of 30 and 60.
- Genetic, bilateral acoustic neuromas. Acoustic neuromas on both sides of the body only occur in people who have the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 2, a mutation in chromosome 22 that affects the gene responsible for production of Schwann cells. These patients often have other schwannoma-like tumors throughout the body, and treatments for these tumors are often different from the treatment for unilateral tumors.
Causes
Your bones are in a constant state of renewal — new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you’re young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone and your bone mass increases. After the early 20s this process slows, and most people reach their peak bone mass by age 30. As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it’s created.
How likely you are to develop osteoporosis depends partly on how much bone mass you attained in your youth. Peak bone mass is partly inherited and varies also by ethnic group. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have “in the bank” and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.
Symptoms
There typically are no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might have signs and symptoms that include:
- Back pain, caused by a broken or collapsed bone in the spine.
- Loss of height over time.
- A stooped posture.
- A bone that breaks much more easily than expected.
Diagnosis
The earlier the tumour is detected and treated, the greater the chance of a full recovery. Acoustic neuroma can be diagnosed using a variety of tests, including:
- Computed tomography (CT) scan – this is a specialised x-ray that takes three-dimensional pictures of the inner ear. However, small tumours may be missed by this method.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan – pictures of the inner ear are taken, using radio waves in a strong magnetic field instead of x-rays. MRI scans can usually detect smaller acoustic neuromas than CT scans. A dye may be injected to further highlight the tissues under investigation.
