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Osteoporosis
What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to an increased risk of fracture. Bone strength reflects the integration of two main features: bone density and bone quality. Osteoporosis is the most common of the bone diseases that affect Americans. Although it is the underlying cause of most fractures in older people, the condition is silent and undetected in many cases until a fracture occurs.
Osteoporosis is a major health risk for 28 million Americans. In the United States today, 10 million individuals already have osteoporosis and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for this disease. American women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. One out of every two women and one in eight men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her or his lifetime.
