BONE DISEASES

Bone may appear to be hard, rigid, and unchanging, but they are actually living, growing and complex tissues. In addition to their importance for walking, they also produce blood cells and act as a storehouse for minerals, calcium, and phosphate. Bones are living webs of proteins, minerals, and other materials.

Due to the wide range of activities, a number of problems and malfunctions can affect the health and performance of bones.

Osteoporosis, a progressive loss of bone strength, increases the risk of fractures and affects nearly half of all women over 50 years old. Men make up one in five people with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis may be caused by several factors and can seriously affect the lives and activities of people with the condition.

The New Orleans Nephrology Associates Metabolic Bone & Stone Clinic offers osteoporotic patients a chance to reduce their risk of bone fractures. We also evaluate the causes of your bone loss. Many times we see patients with osteopenia (a small amount of bone loss) and we work to prevent this bone loss from worsening.

There are many causes of decreased bone strength (osteoporosis). One classification system is listed below:

Dr. Michael C. Touchy, II, MD

Dr. Michael C. Touchy, II was born and raised in New Orleans. Bachelors of Science degree from University Of Louisiana. He went on to graduate medical school at University of the Americas. His residency was at LSUHSC in New Orleans and his fellowship was at LSUSC New Orleans.

Type I Hypogonadal

This group is compromised of mean and women who have osteopenia and osteoporosis due to loss of sex hormones. This hormonal loss could be a result of illness, exercise, or age.

This is the osteopenia/osteoporosis of aging. It occurs in all human beings as they age.

Type II Primary

Type III Secondary

Osteoporosis is caused in this group by illness or prolonged medication use (immunosuppressants, anti-seizure drugs, corticosteroids, blood thinning drugs), chronic renal or liver diseases, transplantation, and thyroid diseases.

Bone Mineral Density Test

A Bone Density Test (BMD) can safely and painlessly provide you or your doctor with information on your bone health. BMD is measured by using a DEXA (Duel Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry). This is a reliable method of measuring BMD and predicting chances of future fractures.

A bone mineral test can:

Confirm a diagnosis of osteoporosis
Detect low bone density before a fracture occurs
Predict your chances of future fractures
Determine your rate of bone loss
Monitor the effects of treatment

Treatment

The New Orleans Nephrology Associates Metabolic Bone and Stone Clinic provides comprehensive monitoring and intervention services for people with osteoporosis.

Therapies may range from exercise and dietary programs to medications and treatment of underlying illnesses. There are other blood tests your doctor may order to identify possible causes of bone loss.