What’s in a name? Well, if it’s osteoporosis, osteopenia and osteoarthritis, for starters, a shared prefix. “Osteo” means bone, and that matching descriptor also spells confusion for many seniors, who are disproportionately affected by each of the conditions. Besides sounding similar, a major shared risk factor for the development of these chronic conditions is aging.
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are similar conditions. But from symptoms – or a lack thereof – to how each impacts the body and the ways in which they’re managed, osteoporosis and osteopenia differ completely from osteoarthritis.
Key Takeaways:
- Osteoporosis and osteopenia, though often confused, differ significantly from osteoarthritis in symptoms, impact on the body and management.
- Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory joint condition causing joint stiffness and pain. On the other hand, osteopenia and osteoporosis are characterized by weakened, brittle bones, often without noticeable symptoms until a fracture occurs.
- While osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are not directly linked, they share risk factors like age and gender, and some individuals may have both conditions simultaneously.
Osteoarthritis vs. Osteoporosis
Despite several significant differences, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis mix-ups persist. Many people have only a faint idea that they’re at risk or are just learning about one or both conditions.
Osteoporosis refers to “porous bone,” or a thinning of bone, where the quality and density of bone is decreased, so that it becomes weak and brittle. This puts a person at higher risk for sustaining a fracture. However, there are typically no other noticeable symptoms before a bone break.
“Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease in the (U.S.) and the world. It is a silent disease until a fracture occurs,” says Dr. Meryl LeBoff, chief of the Calcium and Bone Section and director of the Skeletal Health and Osteoporosis Center and Bone Density Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Apart from that, there are generally no outward signs that a person may have osteoporosis, which affects about 10 million in the U.S., predominantly women, according to Healthy People 2030.
By contrast, osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects the joints – like the hips, knees, spine and joints in the hands. Unlike with osteoporosis, this most common form of arthritis can cause a range of symptoms. Those include joint stiffness, declining flexibility, bone spurs and, perhaps most noticeably, pain.