Difference between Calcification and Bone Loss
dr. I Nyoman Suarjana, SpPD
& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; Among the people, the term joint calcification disease is quite popular, although some of them have a wrong understanding because they think the disease occurs due to calcium deficiency. Calcification of the joints, whose medical term is osteoarthritis, is also often confused with bone loss or osteoporosis, where these two diseases have very different symptoms and treatments. By ordinary people, the condition of calcification of the joints is often considered the same as bone loss, because the two diseases are similar, namely the two diseases often attack the elderly. Even though these two diseases, are very different.
In general, the difference between calcification of the joints and bone loss lies in the part of the body that is attacked. Calcification disease mostly occurs due to the aging process (degenerative) which attacks the joints of the body, especially the joints that support the weight such as the knees, hips and ankles, while the loss attacks the bones in the body, especially the spine and hips, which causes bones to become brittle and easy broken.
What is Joint Calcification?  Osteoarthritis normal joints | Calcification of the joints or osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease characterized by the thinning / thinning of joint cartilage so that the joint bearing becomes thinner over time which will eventually disappear or be bald, so that the joint will hurt when moved. The human body consists of 206 bones and 230 joints. Calcification can occur in almost all joints. It usually occurs in joints that are used to withstand heavy loads and also in joints that are frequently used, for example the knees, hips, back or spine, hands, and feet. The knee joint is a joint with a fairly heavy workload. When standing straight, the joints are in a locking position for a stable body position. Meanwhile, when walking, this joint acts like a hinge, so that the movement of the legs becomes flexible. |
In the knee joint, there are three bone components, namely the end of the thighbone (femur), lower leg bone (tibia) and knee bone (patella). At the end of the bone, there is a component called cartilage. Cartilage plays a role in lining the ends of the bones in the joints. With the cartilage, the three bones meet, but there is no friction, and the joint movement becomes smooth.
In accordance with the course of age, the elderly will experience damage to joint cartilage. Apart from the age factor, there are also other factors that can accelerate the damage process. For example infection, trauma, high activity or excess body weight. If there is damage, the cartilage becomes thin and the surface is uneven, as a result there is friction between the bones and the bones causing pain.
Damage to the cartilage causes joint motion to no longer smooth. The ends of the bones meet and rub against each other. Damage to the cartilage stimulates the growth of new bone in the joints known as osteophytes. With osteophytes, pain gets worse, and of course activity is disrupted. To determine the presence or absence of calcification in the joints, in addition to conducting a physical examination, the doctor will also carry out supporting examinations, for example, doing X-rays. This examination is important to determine the condition and estimate the degree of joint damage.
Treatment for calcification of joints, depending on the degree of pain or joint damage. In mild pain, it may be sufficient to give mild painkillers such as paracetamol, if the pain is severe and other complications occur such as accumulation of inflammatory fluid in the joint cavity, you should immediately see a doctor for further treatment.
What is Bone Loss?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines osteoporosis as a disease of porous bone, because in most people with osteoporosis, bone mass decreases or experiences shrinkage. This occurs because the supply of calcium in the bones decreases, causing the body to take calcium from the bones and over time the bones become porous, so the bones become unable to withstand heavy loads. Even minor impacts can cause fractures.
| Osteoporosis sufferers can still do physical activity, even with controlled loads, aka not too heavy. Those who suffer from this disease can do osteoporosis special exercises which aim to get the bones of the body to bear weight and strengthen muscles. |  |
Apart from moderate exercise, it is also advisable to consume enough vitamins. The intake of vitamins needed for osteoporosis sufferers includes vitamins D, C, B6, B12, and folate. While the minerals needed include magnesium and calcium
Difference between osteoporosis (osteoarthritis) and bone loss ( osteoporosis ) :
- Osteoporosis disorders occur in bones, especially the spine and pelvis, while osteoarthritis occurs in joints, especially joints that support weight gain, such as knees and ankles.
- People with osteoporosis need adequate calcium intake, either with calcium milk or calcium supplements, whereas osteoarthritis does not have a direct relationship with calcium needs, what is needed are painkillers and vitamins for the joints such as glucosamine.
- Osteoporosis does not cause pain in bones unless a fracture has occurred, people with osteoarthritis will always feel pain in the joints when carrying out their daily activities.
- To find out the degree of bone loss, an examination called bone densitometry or BMD is performed while calcification of the joints is carried out by X-rays of the joints.