Osteoporosis is a common condition which can lead to pain, fractures and disability. It may be prevented by a healthy lifestyle including exercise and a balanced diet. Drug therapy is also required for those at particularly high risk. Treatment of individuals with established osteoporosis can prevent further fracture and improve the quality of life. The majority of patients are elderly women, but osteoporosis can also affect younger women and is increasingly found in men.
Osteoporosis is silent until the first fracture occurs. Fractures of the wrist, spine and hip cause pain, disability, loss of independence and often require long term care. More than one third of adult women and one in 12 men will suffer an osteoporotic fracture at one of these three sites during their lifetime. Patients who have already suffered one osteoporotic fracture are at high risk of suffering subsequent fractures.
By definition 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.