April 2016 Vol. 4 No.4

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Original Research Article

Awareness and knowledge of a silent thief- osteoporosis in Karachi’s people

Amber Nawab^1*, Najaf Farooq¹, Ayesha Aslam¹, Ghazal Jawed² and Samina Alam¹

¹Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women
²Dow Institute of Medical Technology

*Corresponding Author’s Email: danamber2011@hotmail.com

Accepted April 05, 2016

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a bone disorder. It is a silent disease which makes bone weak or cause increase chances of bone fracture. The bone becomes brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, due to hormonal changes or deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. This was a survey based study. A cross sectional quantitative study was conducted and data collection was done using questionnaire comprising of 18 questions. A total of 100 males and 100 females were selected for the study from different areas of Karachi. According to our result, only 30.33% of females and 20% of males had knowledge regarding the prevention of osteoporosis. Presence of symptoms and risk factors like feeling pain in the joints, history of osteoporosis in family, excessive use of drinks, lack of exercise, dietary intake of dairy products, calcium or vitamin D were evaluated. Osteoporosis in today’s world has become a common disease mostly in females due to hormonal changes. In our study we observed inappropriate Calcium intake in diet and excessive consumption of tea, coffee and aerated drinks. There is a need to create awareness in public for the prevention of the osteoporosis. Ensuring appropriate calcium and vitamin D intake, regular exercise and cutting down the use of beverages can milestone prove effective in the prevention of osteoporosis.

Key words: Awareness, Bone fracture, Osteoporosis, Silent thief