Osteoporosis is a common medical disorder that affects more than 8.9 million fractures annually all over the world.
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disorder that is characterized by low bone mineral density making them more prone to fractures. It affects more than 25 million Americans and causes more than 1.5 million fractures each year. Osteoporotic fractures can occur in any bone of your body except the skull.
There are several risk factors which are commonly linked with osteoporosis. Advancing age, female sex, osteoporosis running in families, chronic smoking, vitamin D and calcium deficiency, immobilization, low body weight and early menarche are some of the established risk factors of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is termed as ‘silent disease’ because loss of bone occurs very slowly without any initial signs or symptoms. Ultimately, bones become so weak and brittle that even a minor trauma results in a fracture. This is especially significant problem among postmenopausal women. Anyone can suffer from osteoporosis but post-menopausal women are about four times more prone to suffer than their male counterparts. Two main factors which play their part are:
- The process of decrease in bone mineral density is increased for several years after the menopause, when estrogen levels produced from ovaries starts declining.
- Men usually adequate level of bone density before the progression of bone loss starts.