A nurse notes a loss of height from the previous year. This is most likely a manifestation of which musculoskeletal disorder?

A nurse notes a loss of height from the previous year. This is most likely a manifestation of which musculoskeletal disorder?

• A. Osteoporosis
• B. Scoliosis
• C. Kyphosis
• D. Lordosis

Answer: (A)

Loss of height in an adult, especially an older one, is most often tied to osteoporosis. This condition causes bones to lose density and become fragile, so the vertebrae can compress or fracture with normal stresses. When several vertebrae shorten or collapse, the spine overall becomes shorter, producing a measurable decrease in height from year to year. The other options describe spinal shapes rather than the bone density issue itself: scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine, kyphosis is an excessive forward rounding, and lordosis is an exaggerated inward curve in the lower back. While osteoporosis can be associated with kyphosis, the direct manifestation that explains progressive height loss is osteoporosis with possible vertebral compression fractures.

Loss of height in an adult, especially an older one, is most often tied to osteoporosis. This condition causes bones to lose density and become fragile, so the vertebrae can compress or fracture with normal stresses. When several vertebrae shorten or collapse, the spine overall becomes shorter, producing a measurable decrease in height from year to year. The other options describe spinal shapes rather than the bone density issue itself: scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine, kyphosis is an excessive forward rounding, and lordosis is an exaggerated inward curve in the lower back. While osteoporosis can be associated with kyphosis, the direct manifestation that explains progressive height loss is osteoporosis with possible vertebral compression fractures.