Crippling India’s elderly |
Dangerously under-recognized, osteoporosis quietly becomes a public-health emergency in India. Just shift your attention to this: bone pain, backache, stooped posture, and fractures are often dismissed as an unavoidable part of ageing in our society. It is particularly the case in postmenopausal women and elderly men. It’s this misconception that costs thousands of Indians their mobility, independence, dignity, and in many cases, their lives.
We must remember that Osteoporosis is not a normal consequence of ageing. It is a serious, chronic disease where bones gradually lose strength, thus becoming fragile. What makes it so lethal is its silence. Most patients feel perfectly well until a simple fall while walking, slipping in the bathroom, lifting a bucket, or even coughing leads to a fracture. By the time the first fracture occurs, the disease has usually been present for years. Postmenopausal women in India are at the........