Modern lifestyles and the rise of social media are changing the profile of the ‘typical’ osteoporosis patient, writes Michael McHale I t’s long been seen as a disease that only older people have to face. But osteoporosis can affect people at any age, and recent studies indicate that many of its sufferers may be younger than we think. An Irish survey published last year found that almost one-in-five adults aged 40-54 had sustained a fragility fracture since turning 40, a sign of osteoporosis.
“Fragility fractures are maybe expected as a person gets older, but we are seeing them in a younger age group. To see that patients just over 40 not only have osteoporosis, but have also had a fragility fracture, is concerning,” said Dr Miriam Delaney , a specialist in osteoporosis at the Galway Clinic, at the time. Now there are fears that osteoporosis sufferers are getting even younger, and social media may be at least partly to blame.
President of the Irish Osteoporosis Society Prof Moira O’Brien has seen an uptick in cases of the bone disease among younger people. This coincides with a rise in steroid use and eating disorders – both of which contribute to lower bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures. The pressure that social media can place on adolescents and young adults to look a certain way has no doubt been a factor in these worrying trends.
A constant barrage of posts showing the ‘perfect body’ – and in some cases, directly encouraging dangerous .