Forms

Osteoporosis can be divided into 2 main forms: the primary and the secondary form. The primary form is more common (90%) than the secondary form (10%). The more frequent form is divided into further types: Type I osteoporosis is the postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Here, the low bone mass of the female sex is considered a predisposing factor. Senile osteoporosis is defined as type II and describes the fact that bone mass decreases with age due to less active or insufficiently working bone cells. A third possibility is idiopathic osteoporosis, for which the cause is not precisely known.It can occur either in childhood or adolescence or only in young adulthood.

Male smokers are particularly at risk here. The secondary form includes various causes for osteoporosis. Long-term systemic therapy with certain drugs, especially glucocorticoids, but also proton pump inhibitors and antiepileptic drugs, plays a relevant role.

Another important factor of the secondary form is immobilization: inactive people who move little or are bedridden for longer periods of time increase the risk of developing secondary osteoporosis. Diseases that affect hormone balance and metabolism can also cause secondary osteoporosis. These include hypercortisolism or hypogonadism. It should not be ignored that an eating disorder due to a reduction in the estrogen level can also promote the development of secondary osteoporosis.

Primary osteoporosis

The most common form of osteoporosis is the so-called postmenopausal osteoporosis in women. It is caused by the fact that the oestrogen level in the blood of menopausal women naturally drops sharply. Senile osteoporosis is also common and belongs to the primary osteoporoses, and is found in people (including men) over the age of 70 because the hormone balance changes here.

Why some people develop osteoporosis under physiological conditions and others do not, however, can still not be fully explained. In addition to the risk factors mentioned below, it is assumed that genetic factors as well as behavior or external influences during adolescence have an effect on whether osteoporosis develops later or not (for example, the late onset of the first period or a permanent lack of exercise are discussed here as risk factors). The third possibility of primary osteoporosis and much less common than the two above is idiopathic osteoporosis. In these patients who fall ill at a younger age, it is still not known why this disease develops.