What Is Osteopenia?
4. What Causes Osteopenia?
Babies and children build bones faster than they are broken down, causing them to grow in length and the child to get taller. A young person stops growing taller in their early twenties, and by age 35, most people have stopped gaining bone mass. As people continue to age, the process of losing bone mass starts to happen faster than that of replacement. After menopause, the lack of estrogen women experience further exacerbates bone loss. However, not everyone over 50 loses enough bone mass to cause osteopenia.
In addition to age-related bone density issues, the continued use of some prescription drugs has been shown to contribute significantly to bone loss. The medications implicated include antacids and acid reflux medications, anti-seizure medications, chemotherapy drugs, blood thinner, and thyroid hormones, among others. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your medications put you at risk for losing bone mass.
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