Overview
Osteoporosis is a bone disease where the density of the bone is low leading to brittle and fragile bones. This leads to frequent fractures as well. Osteoporosis in men is less common compared to women. Osteoporosis in men can be either primary or secondary. A primary cause can be either age-related or can be due to an unknown cause, called idiopathic osteoporosis. Secondary causes of osteoporosis in men can be due to lifestyle, hypercalciuria, thyrotoxicosis, hyperparathyroidism, regular use of steroid medications, hypogonadism leading to low testosterone levels, alcohol consumption, smoking, and gastrointestinal disorders. Osteoporosis in men is less common than women. It can be diagnosed by proper history taking, physical examination, bone mineral density (BMD) test, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), blood tests, urinalysis and hormone levels test. Osteoporosis in men can be prevented by avoiding smoking, reducing alcohol intake, exercising, taking calcium supplements and vitamin D supplements.
