Dr. Yash Gulati's Clinic

Osteoporosis is slowly emerging as an epidemic in modern day India, with more and more women getting affected by it. Perhaps, it will not be an overstatement to say that by the year 2025, India will be known as the osteoporosis capital of the world. But, the good news is that treatment for osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases is developing rapidly and you can easily maintain proper bone health by making yourself aware about the issues that might affect your bones and opting for ways to prevent them.

How severely are Indian women affected by bone related problems?

With the increase in longevity in Indian women, the extent of bone-related problems is also increasing, especially among women who are close to or have been through menopause. Studies reveal that severe bone-related problems affect about 20% of Indian women between the age of 40 and 50. Some common bone disorders that have a significant impact on the health of women with increasing age are:

• Osteoporosis: This condition is associated with brittle and fragile bones, prevailing as a result of tissue loss due to hormonal changes or lack of requisite amount of vitamin D or calcium in the body
• Osteopenia: Its severity is more than that of osteoporosis and this condition involves the lessening of bone tissues mineral and protein content
• Osteomalacia: It is a condition in which your bones become soft due to vitamin D or calcium deficiency
• Arthritis: In this condition, your joints get inflamed, leading to pain and stiffness

What are the common symptoms associated with bone-related diseases?

If you observe the following signs, you might be suffering from a bone related problem:

• Experiencing pains without any known causes
• Painful joints and muscles
• Lethargy
• Difficulty in walking properly

What are the measures can you take to prevent them?

Women under the age of 20 can prevent bone-related issues by:

• Having a balanced diet
• Ensuring that your diet contains the requisite amount of protein, calcium and vitamin D
• Participating in physical activities such as running and jogging
• Staying outdoors to get exposed to sunlight
• Maintaining proper body weight

During the perimenopausal phase (the time when a women is about to experience menopause), she is more susceptible to bone-related issues and should take extra steps to maintain proper bone health. Some of these measures include:

• Being careful about nutrient intake
• Getting yourself checked by a gynecologist at regular intervals to ensure that you have correct bone density and vitamin D and calcium levels
• Taking calcium or vitamin D supplements, if required
• Ensuring that you have an active lifestyle

'Consult'.

Related Tip: How Stress Can Dissolve Your Bones + Tips to Fix It Fast

Are you at higher risk of developing TB?    

TB is a major health problem in India, with nearly 12 lakh people getting diagnosed with the disease each year. The fact that more than one third of the cases of TB remain undiagnosed, or are diagnosed but proper treatment is not opted for, makes it even more difficult to deal with the disease. Moreover, the TB bacilli, which causes the disease is present in its latent form in 40% Indians who possess a high risk of developing TB but do not exhibit any symptoms.

Who are prone to TB?

Although TB can affect people of any age or physical condition, some people are at a higher risk of developing the disease than others. People who are more prone to TB are:

• Anyone with a weak immune system

• Small children and elderly people

• People suffering from diabetes or detected to be HIV positive

• People who have been exposed to immunotherapy or have consumed steroids for a long time

What is the classification of TB?

TB is curable, but for correct treatment it is necessary to diagnose the type of the disease correctly. TB can be broadly classified into the following types:

• General TB: In this type of TB, the bacilli show sensitivity to most drugs required for treating the disease.

• Multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB): In this form of the condition, the bacilli show resistance to two major drugs required for treatment of TB, Isoniazid and Rifampicin.

• Extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB): This type of TB is rarely observed and is caused by a bacilli which show resistance to most drugs including Isoniazid, Rifampicin, any fluoroquinolone and to at least one of three injectable second-line drug - Capreomycin, Kanamycin and Amikacin.

Moreover, TB is also classified in two other forms - primary and secondary. Primary TB is the form, which affects a person who hasn’t been previously exposed to the infection; whereas secondary TB refers to the reactivation of the infection in a previously infected person due to decline in health and immune system.

What are the treatment options available for TB?

Treatment of TB involves intake of certain prescription drugs for about 6 to 9 months. It is strongly recommended that the treatment is continued till the end and the drugs are consumed exactly in the way suggested by the physician. If the intake of drugs is stopped before the requisite period, the condition may relapse; and if the medications are not consumed correctly, the bacteria might develop a resistance to the drugs.

Treatment of MDR-TB and XDR TB is a complicated process as any wrong step might prove to be fatal for the patient. It usually begins by conducting a drug-susceptibility test to identify the drugs to which the bacilli are resistant to. After the test results are revealed, the treatment plan is shaped accordingly and the patient is closely observed throughout the process. Moreover, treatment of drug-resistant TB always includes the use of directly observed therapy (DOT).