Are you at risk?

The following factors could affect whether or not you are at risk for osteoporosis:

• Genetics

  Asian or white race, Family history of OP, Thin body frame, Vitamin D receptor allele anomaly

• Lifestyle

  Excessive exercise (producing amenorrhea) Immobilization, sedentary lifestyle, late menarche, nulliparity, smoking

• Nutritional factors

  Alcoholism, high protein diet, lifelong low dietary calcium intake, milk I ntolerance, vegetarian diet, vitamin D deficiency

• Medical Disorders

  Anorexia nervosa, cushing’s syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 1, gastrointestinal dysfunction, hemolytic anemia, mastocytosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, parathyroid overactivity, prolonged parenternal nutrition, prolactinoma, rheumatoid arthritis, transient osteoporosis

• Drugs

  Anticonvulsants, chemotherapy, chronic phosphate-binding antacid use, chronic tetracycline therapy*, Cyclosporin A, Diruetics producing calciuria*, glucocorticoid therapy, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or antagonist, lithium, methotrexate, phenothiazine derivatives*

  *Identified as either toxic to bone in animals or as inducing calciuria or calcium malabsorption. Not yet associated with decreased bone mass in humans.