The onset of osteoporosis in men is 10 - 15 years later than in women. The reason for this is that men, as a result of mere bulk and heavier frames, have more skeletal bone to lose. Small lean men are thus more prone to osteoporosis than heavy-set men with big frames.
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As there is no male andropause with accelerated bone loss, men who present with osteoporosis are more likely to have an underlying cause for excessive bone loss than women. In fact, over 50% of men with bone loss consistent with the diagnosis of osteoporosis, will have an underlying cause and these causes should be actively sought and excluded. The most common causes of so- called secondary osteoporosis in men are:
corticosteroid use
hypogonadism (decreased testosterone/ male hormone levels)
alcoholism
post-transplantation (liver & kidney)
Age-related osteoporosis in men is thought to be mainly the result of a decreased depositing of new bone tissue. The onset is usually in the early forties when testosterone levels may start decreasing.
National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa
PO Box 481
Bellville
7535
Tel. (021)-931 7894
National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa
PO Box 481
Bellville
7535
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