50 people go to JPMC every week with bone trouble

Osteoporosis prevails among children below 7, people above the age of 50.

KARACHI: More than 50 patients visit the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) every week with complaints of bone-related diseases, said JPMC orthopaedic ward incharge Professor Anees Bhatti on Tuesday.

Every tenth person over the age of 50 years and every fifth child below the age of seven years is suffering from osteoporosis in Pakistan, healthcare experts observed on the eve of World Osteoporosis Day.

The main reason behind the increasing number of patients is a lack of proper diet and exercise, said Bhatti, adding that the disease is fully curable if treated at an early stage, otherwise it can become harmful for the bones and may lead to fractures. The initial symptoms of the disease include pain in the legs and other parts of the body during walking, he said.

Liaquat National Hospital gynaecology ward incharge professor Dr Haleema Hashmi said that the chances of fractures in girls and women increase with menopause and depression. Menopause rapidly weakens the bones in the first three years; afterwards the speed goes down, said Hashmi, adding that the process can lead to osteoporosis.

However, osteoporosis usually attacks men and women who are physically weak to begin with, she said, while stressing the need to plan pregnancies, incorporate calcium, fresh vegetables and fruit in one’s diet and exercise regularly to prevent an attack of osteoporosis.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2010.