Yes. Osteoporosis is one of the many serious complications facing any individual that suffers or has suffered from an eating disorder.

Bone is a living tissue and is constantly being broken down and renewed by the body in response to many factors. Bone needs 5 things in order to correctly undertake this bone balance. Firstly bone needs adequate calories, especially protein to lay down the supports for the bone. Next, bone needs calcium to harden these supports. In order to absorb calcium from the gut, the body needs vitamin D. Normal hormones are also needed and, finally, bone requires adequate weight bearing exercise.

In the case of eating disorders, inadequate food/calorific intake and poor intake of calcium and vitamin D lead to decreased bone density. Many who have eating disorders may over exercise or do not exercise at all, both of these increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.

In the treatment of those who have osteoporosis as a result of an eating disorder, it is necessary to both increase the daily intake of food/calories and to supplement as appropriate calcium and Vitamin D intake. Each case should be treated individually and often the replacement of hormones is also needed in the form of the pill (or HRT) in females. Adequate weight bearing exercise is also essential.

I encourage your mother to get a DXA scan as soon as possible, as osteoporosis is a silent disease and she will not know if she has osteoporosis, unless she has had a low trauma fracture without having a scan.

If you have any questions you would like answered please e-mail Noeleen Cronin on info@homeinstead.ie. Noleen is trained as a nurse and specialised in elder care before joining Home Instead Senior Care.

For further information on elder care issues and to keep up to date with Home Instead Senior Care news please click on the following link: http://www.homeinstead.ie/keep_in_touch.aspx.