SPA is committed to the treatment of bone diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer osteolysis and multiple myeloma osteolysis.
In Italy osteoporosis affects about 5 million people, of whom 80% are post-menopausal women. Fractures from osteoporosis fragility have significant consequences in terms of mortality and motor disability, with high health and social costs.
Osteoporosis is a chronic disease of the skeletal system characterized by the reduction of bone mineral mass and the deterioration of the microarchitecture of the tissue, which becomes more fragile and more exposed to the risk of fractures, even in the presence of minor trauma.
Aging is accompanied by a physiological loss of bone mass. Osteoporosis occurs when such loss becomes excessive and pathological, due to the persistent and dominant bone resorption activity compared to neoformative. In this context, osteoporosis is not a physiological condition related to aging but an often silent disease, the onset of which coincides with the appearance of a fragility fracture. The most common fragility fractures involve the spine, the proximal femur (neck) and the wrist. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on the execution of the examination called DEXA or MOC, aimed at calculating bone mineral density.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that can however be prevented, slowed down and stopped in its progression, through a correct lifestyle based on at least five important points:
- provide the body with an adequate intake of Calcium and Vitamin D;
- exercise regularly;
- adopt proper nutrition to prevent overweight and obesity and to promote bone health;
- avoid alcohol abuse;
- do not smoke.
When osteoporosis is established, especially in those at high risk of fracture, lifestyle interventions should be accompanied by appropriate drug therapy, prescribed by the doctor and tailored to each case.
Osteoarthritis is a chronic and progressive degenerative disease, caused by erosion or lesions of the cartilage and surrounding tissues at the joint level, especially in the joints on which the weight of the body weighs. It is characterised by pain, stiffness, loss of function. The most frequently affected joints are the knees, hips, lumbar and cervical vertebrae, joints of hands and shoulders.
The most correct investigation to diagnose osteoarthritis is the radiological examination. Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of joint pain in 10% of the adult population and in 50% of people over the age of 50. Between the ages of 40 and 70, women develop the disease more frequently than men, while after 70, the disease develops to the same extent in both sexes.
In Italy, symptomatic osteoarthritis affects at least 4 million subjects, producing total costs around 6.5 billion euros.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
Osteoarthritis is not an inevitable part of aging and is not caused by wear and tear that occurs with years of use of the joint. Several individual factors of a genetic or general nature, such as sedentary lifestyle, overweight and obesity, possible postural defects and poor posture, single or repeated fractures, other joint injuries, contribute to the development of the disease, abnormal strains or movements, metabolic disorders, joint infections or other joint pathologies.
In the acute phase, the objectives of osteoarthritis therapy are to control and reduce pain, stiffness and inflammation. Medium to long-term treatment attempts are made to reduce or stop the progression of damage, prevent deformity and restore initial functionality. To achieve these goals, drug or non-pharmacological therapies can be followed, even in combination.
For this therapeutic area SPA offers several therapy opportunities for the acute phase and a therapeutic option belonging to the class “symptomatic slow action” (SYSADOA), which acts on the structure.
The information on the site is for information purposes only, does not constitute medical advice or replace the opinion of a doctor. Please note that medication should always be taken under the supervision of your doctor.
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