It is surprising that the rate of male osteoporosis is particularly high in the general population and unfortunately, this significantly high rate remains undiagnosed, with sufferers seeking medical help only when the condition has reached its final stage, i.e. fracture.

“The hip fracture that often occurs in older people and usually results in lengthy surgeries is solely due to extensive osteoporosis,” points out the Mr. Alexandros Dasoulas Orthopedic Director Metropolitan Hospital. “The hip doesn’t break like everyone thinks because the patient fell. The hip breaks due to the large osteoporosis in the area and then the patient falls down,” he emphasizes.

The large population impact of male osteoporosis

In 1990 in Europe, hip fractures (due solely to osteoporosis) were just over 1 million for women, compared to 500,000 for men.

The forecast for 2025 is over 1 million cases for men and about 3 million for women.

“The most troubling fact is the percentage of people who die after this fracture, regardless of the quality of treatment they receive. The percentage in men is 14.1%, while in women it is 5.4%. Simply put, more women will break their hip from osteoporosis, but the percentage of men who will lose their lives after a corresponding fracture is much higher,” adds the expert.

Risk factors for male osteoporosis

The categories of men most at risk of osteoporosis are the following:

• Chronic smokers, people with low body weight
• People with heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages
• People with chronic diseases such as: primary hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, gonadism, Cushing’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel, joint and lung diseases, chronic renal failure.
• Those taking medications such as corticosteroids, antiepileptics, antiandrogens, chemotherapy.
• People with a diet low in calcium and vitamin D deficiency.

Which men should have a bone mineral density test?

Men who should be checked with a bone mineral density test at least once in their life are:

• Those over 50 years old and especially those who have some of the aforementioned risk factors.
• Those who have history of fracturewhich occurred without vigorous movement, and especially those with a history of vertebral fractures that occurred after simple movements (eg, a simple squat and other simple daily movements).
• Those suffering from aforementioned diseases to risk factors (hypogonadism, hyperparathyroidism, etc.)
• Those taking medication (corticosteroids, antiepileptics, etc.).
• Those who have x-rayed any part of the body and the doctor finds osteopenia.

“It is important to emphasize that sometimes – and especially in male patients – findings on spinal X-rays are referred to as simple degenerative spondyloarthropathy. However, if observed a little better, deformations of the vertebrae reminiscent of osteoporotic fractures can be found,” he says.

The best treatment is prevention

“As with osteoporosis in women, so in men the best treatment is prevention. With simple tests measuring bone density, blood and urine, the diagnosis can be made long before the difficult moment of the fracture.

There are not a few times that male osteoporosis is due to diseases such as hyperparathyroidism, hypogonadism, hyperthyroidism, diseases that the patients discover for the first time that they suffer from and of course receive the appropriate treatment.

In summary, men should take osteoporosis prevention seriously. With simple tests, they will be able to prevent serious fractures that have an impact even on their lives”, concludes Mr. Dasoulas.