$Unique_ID{BRK00551}
$Pretitle{Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue}
$Title{What is a "Dowager's Hump"?}
$Subject{osteoporosis dowager's hump cause prevention}
$Volume{M-17}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What is a "Dowager's Hump"?


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QUESTION:  I have read this term several times, but never could understand
what they were talking about.  What is a "dowager's hump"?  What causes it to
form, and what do you have to do to get rid of it?

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ANSWER:  As certain women grow older, past the age of menopause, they develop
a curvature of the spine as the result of a bone condition called
osteoporosis.  As it becomes more pronounced, it is called a "Dowager's Hump",
one of the definitions of dowager being, "an elderly woman of wealth and
dignity". (Check the longer definition in your dictionary if you wish to learn
a bit more about this old English term.)  Osteoporosis is predominantly a
disease of women, and is a generalized progressive reduction in bone mass,
causing the bones to weaken.  The spinal column, which is composed of
vertebrae, piled one upon the other like a tower of building blocks, supports
our skeleton and provides us with a standing posture.  As the mineral content
(calcium amongst others) diminishes in these bones they begin to collapse
slowly, with the front (anterior) end of the "block" becoming smaller,
changing the shape of the vertebral body from a square into a triangular form.
This creates the curve in the spinal column which we describe as a "hump".
There is no cure for this condition as yet.  It may be prevented by an active,
healthy premenopausal life, with proper nutrition that supplies the calcium
and other minerals needed to build strong bones.  Once the process has begun
it may be halted by replacing the female hormones lost at menopause, and
supplementary calcium.  While real cures are still being investigated, there
seems little hope of discovering a medication that would reverse the process
and reduce the hump.  That would require a new growth process similar to the
one that Ponce de Leon was looking for in Florida.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
