It’s generally considered a condition that affects post menopausal women and sets in with age, but this year, World Osteoporosis Day, which fell on October 20, also focused on men, said A. Rajeshwari, head of the rheumatology department at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH).
GH held an awareness programme focusing on this year’s theme – ‘Real men build their strength from within’. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bone mass decreases, leading bones to become fragile and brittle, thereby increasing chances of breakage. “Up until now, the focus was only on women, but increasingly, it has been found that men too are severely affected,” said Dr. Rajeshwari.
“Smoking and alcohol can contribute to this, as can drugs used to treat prostate cancer and steroids,” she said, adding that men should be screened from the age of 50 onwards.
Dean of the hospital R. Vimala and director of medical education S. Geethalakshmi also participated.
