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Bone density screening held at Clifton Health Department

CLIFTON — A Bone Density Screening will be held on Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Clifton Health Department Clinic, second floor in City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave. This screening is co-sponsored by the Clifton Health Department and Hackensack University Hospital at Mountainside and is open to Clifton and Little Falls residents. Registration is required. Call 973-470-5760 to register or for more information. The fee is $12 per person.

A Bone Density Screening is used to estimate the density of your bones and your chances of breaking a bone. More importantly, it is the only test that can detect early stages of osteoporosis, a serious bone disease in which the body loses too much bone or makes too little bone. With osteoporosis, bones may become fragile, leading to an increased risk of fractures of the wrist, forearm, ribs, spine, feet and toes, and hip. In severe cases, a minor occurrence like a sneeze can also cause bones to fracture.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 54 million people in the United States either already have osteoporosis or are at risk due to low bone mass. Osteoporosis can occur in both men and women and at any age, but it is most common in older women.

Many risk factors can lead to bone loss and osteoporosis. Some of these risk factors are controllable while others are not. Risk factors that cannot be controlled include:

* Gender: women tend to get osteoporosis more often than men

* Age: the older you are, the greater your risk of osteoporosis

* Body size: small, thin women are at greater risk

* Ethnicity: White and Asian women are at highest risk; Black and Hispanic women have a lower risk

* Family history: osteoporosis tends to run in families. If a family member has osteoporosis and breaks a bone, then you maybe at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis

Other risk factors include:

* Sex hormones: low estrogen levels due to missing menstrual periods or to menopause in women. Low testosterone levels can bring about osteoporosis in men

* Calcium and vitamin D intake: a diet low in calcium and vitamin D makes you more prone to bone loss

* Medication use: some medicines may increase the risk of osteoporosis

* Activity level: lack of exercise or long-term bed rest can cause weak bones

* Smoking: cigarettes are bad for bones, and the heart, and lungs, too

* Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can also contribute to developing osteoporosis in your lifetime.

Osteoporosis is sometimes called the "silent disease" because symptoms may not appear until a fracture happens. This makes prevention efforts crucial at an early age. To help keep strong bones, it is important to eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, exercise regularly, and refrain from drinking alcohol in excess or smoking.
