JEDDAH, 14 November 2007 — Osteoporosis is quietly spreading in the Kingdom among people over the age of 50, with 70 percent of people with the illness being women. A major study was conducted on 830 women at the King Saud University. They were divided according to different age groups. 25 percent of sufferers were between 50-59, 50 percent were between 60-69 and 75 percent were between 70-80.
In a conference on Sunday that discussed new types of treatment for osteoporosis held at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, 200 specialized doctors announced that they were worried about the increasing number of cases of osteoporosis among Saudis in the Kingdom.
Dr. Hussein Halabi, consultant rheumatologist at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, said that the disease is one of the most common bone diseases in the world and in the Kingdom. “Osteoporosis is the result of aging and abnormal decrease in bone density,” he said. Common factors that cause the disease are early menopause, lack of calcium in the body, lack of vitamin D in a person’s daily diet, hyperactive thyroid, chronic kidney failure, and consuming cortisone and epilepsy medications.
Doctors at the conference warned that negative lifestyles — like smoking, high servings of coffee, consuming soft drinks that have cola — cause the illness.
“Prevention of the disease should start in childhood by guaranteeing a high level of calcium and vitamin D.
