OSTEOPOROSIS - RISK FACTORS

The check list below has been derived from personal communications with Mr N Siddle, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr I Fogelman, Consultant Physician and Professor M I Gurr, Nutrition Consultant. It does not purport to be exhaustive and should be considered only as a guideline, based on the contributors' extensive knowledge, experience, and reference to published data.

Use routinely, in conjunction with any other method you may be employing currently to assess risk. It can help you determine who may require immediate therapy. Within each category of risk factor (major, moderate, minor), individual elements are graded as high, medium, or low risk.

Major risk factors

Menopause under age of 40, high risk
Menopause aged 40 to 45, medium risk
Menopause aged 45+, low risk

Prolonged steroid therapy of more than 7.5 mg daily, high risk
Prolonged steroid therapy of 5 to 7.5 mg daily, medium risk
Prolonged steroid therapy of less than 5 mg daily, low risk

Prolonged amenorrhea of more than 12 months, high risk
Prolonged amenorrhea of less than 12 months, medium risk
Eumenorrhea, low risk

Moderate risk factors

Mother suffering from osteoporosis, high risk
Grandmother suffering from osteoporosis, medium risk
No family history of osteoporosis, low risk
Severely underweight, high risk
Underweight, medium risk
Desired weight, low risk

Alcohol consumption more than 5 to 8 standard units, high risk
Alcohol consumption 3 to 4 standard units, medium risk
Alcohol consumption less than 3 standard units, low risk

Minor risk factors

Smoker, high risk
Ex-smoker, medium risk
Non-smoker, low risk
Sedentary job, high risk
Little exercise, medium risk
Regular exercise, low risk

Calcium intake

Individual needs vary. The UK RDA is 0.5g/day, the US RDA is 0.8g/day, while some experts say menopausal women need 1.5g/day. Good overall nutrition is a least as important as a high calcium intake with regard to optimum bone health.

The typical calcium content/100g of common foodstuffs is as follows:
milk, 0.11g
cheddar cheese, 0.74g
cottage cheese, 0.08g
yoghurt, 0.18g