UAE doctors issue health alert over osteoporosis in young people

Experts warn that osteoporosis is on the rise and young people are particularly at risk because of a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of vitamin D.

ABU DHABI // Young people are increasingly at risk of developing a “silent disease” that causes severe pain, long-term disability and even early death.

Experts warn that cases of osteoporosis are rising due to a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and a lack of vitamin D.

This is a particular problem in the UAE, which has one of the highest rates of vitamin D deficiency in the world.

Bone mass peaks by about the age of 30, so youngsters are at greater risk of developing the condition.

Experts want to raise awareness and have a screening programme to tackle the issue.

“Osteoporosis is on the rise. It is getting worse,” said Dr Nagwa Mahmoud Mossalem, a consultant at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

“By 2025 this will be a really serious problem.”

Dr Mossalem believes about 30 per cent of those over the age of 50 in the emirate have low bone density or osteoporosis, which makes bones brittle and can lead to hip fractures.

She also cited a study by an Abu Dhabi hospital which polled 1,825 people in the UAE – with an average age of 42 – and found that about a quarter had osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, and 2.4 per cent had osteoporosis.

“This is a very young age,” Dr Mossalem said.

“After the age of 30 your bone density will only get worse. So if your bone density is already low this is a problem.

“Preventative measures are the first step against osteoporosis.”

Screening, she said, was the second step.

Experts say that spending just 20 minutes in the sun can reduce the chances of developing the condition.

Dr Khalaf Moussa, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Dubai Bone and Joint Centre, attributed the high rates of osteoporosis in the UAE to a lack of vitamin D.

“I did a study in my clinic and found 75 per cent of osteoporosis patients had vitamin D deficiency,” he said.

Vitamin D – produced by sunlight and found in milk – strengthens bones. But despite almost daily sunshine, the UAE has one of the highest rates of vitamin D deficiency in the world.

Experts say about 60 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women in the country do not have enough vitamin D.

“It is the habits here,” Dr Moussa said. “People are afraid to go outside and get exposure to the sun.”

Dr Moussa said just 20 to 25 minutes a day in the sunlight would dramatically reduce people’s chance of developing brittle bones later in life.

“Vitamin D deficiency is the most common cause of osteoporosis,” he said.

He believes the lack of research into the disease in the UAE and lack of local statistics determining the prevalence of the condition needs to be addressed.

“Be on a high calcium diet, avoid gassy drinks, as these prevent the body absorbing calcium, and get exposure to sunlight every day to boost vitamin D levels,” he said. “Regular exercise such as walking or jogging is also very important.”

Women should have their bone density measured on a DXA machine between three and five years after menopause, when there is a heightened risk for osteoporosis as bones weaken.

Those with predetermined conditions such as arthritis, a long-term dependence on medications – which can prevent the body absorbing calcium – a family history of osteoporotic fractures, or early menopause, should be screened at a younger age.

The onset of osteoporosis in men is most common globally between the ages of 60 and 65 but about 10 years earlier in women.

However, females in the UAE are likely to have brittle bones at an earlier age than their western peers, Dr Mossalem said.

The latest global study by the International Osteoporosis Foundation found that the condition was not yet recognised as a major health problem in the UAE.

“Osteoporosis should be recognised as a major health problem by the Government – there is a need for Government-approved guidelines and prevention programmes,” the study concluded.

According to the foundation, many people do not know they have osteoporosis until their first fracture, which is why it is called the “silent disease”.

Worldwide, one in three women over 50 will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture as will one in five men.