An abdominal aortic aneurysm (often abbreviated as AAA) is a “ballooning” of the aorta below the diaphragm. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. When your heart beats, it pumps a large amount of blood from the heart’s left ventricle directly into this blood vessel. All other arteries in the body branch off of the aorta. An aneurysm develops as a result of weakening of the wall of the artery, causing it to stretch and create the “ballooning“ effect. As you could imagine, if this balloon were to burst, it would instantly become a life-threatening issue. Up to 81% of all people who experience a rupture of an AAA do not survive.¹

The most important risk factors for development of an AAA include male sex, a history of smoking, older age, and having a first-degree relative with a history of AAA.² The other risk factors of lesser importance include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, history of aneurysms, coronary artery disease,...

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens an individual’s bone integrity. The word comes from two Greek roots; “osteo”, which means “bone”, and “poro” which means “porous”. As the name would suggest, the bone from a person with osteoporosis has less supporting structure, which means that the bone is weaker. 

^{Image credit: Google images / McMaster University}

The way healthy bone stays structurally sound is by constantly breaking down and rebuilding existing bone. This is performed by specialized cells called osteoclasts (which break down bone) and osteoblasts (which create new bone). Another important part of making bones strong is the mineralization of bone, which is accomplished by a calcium-based deposit. Osteoporosis develops when bone is being broken down at a higher rate than it is being rebuilt. 

You don’t feel osteoporosis happening. It’s not painful, and the shape and size of your bones...