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Osteoporosis

Last updated Tuesday, May 15, 2007

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Symptoms

What parts of the body does osteoporosis affect?

Osteoporosis affects all of the bones. The most common fractures related to osteoporosis are in the wrist, spine, and hip.

What are some initial warning signs of osteoporosis?

Most of the time there are no warning signs for osteoporosis. Some people will have "compression fractures" of the back, which are not painful but which cause height loss. A person who loses more than 2 inches in height should ask their physician about osteoporosis. The height loss can also be caused by scoliosis or disc disease.

What are symptoms of osteoporosis?

The symptoms of osteoporosis are height loss and bone fractures that occur with minimal trauma.

What are the indirect effects of osteoporosis?

Patients with "kyphosis", which is the curvature of the back seen after several fractures of the vertebra, can develop heartburn. They also may have trouble taking a deep breath.

What conditions have similar sympoms or might be confused with osteoporosis?

Fractures with minmal trauma can also be caused by:

Trauma
Pathologic fracture from neoplasm
Osteomalacia
Paget's disease
Infections (such as tuberculosis)
Fibrous dysplasia
Peripheral neuropathy

"March" fractures from repetitive stress

Surgery for Osteoporosis at the University of Washington

If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 (outside the Seattle area: 800-440-3280) to make an appointment.

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