OSTEOPOROSIS: HELP REDUCE THE RISK

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility. It often progresses without symptoms until a fracture occurs, usually in the hip, spine or wrist. Osteoporosis can lead to pain, disability and, in some cases, even death.
Osteoporosis is extremely common. In fact, one out of two women over age 50 will sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime.
Osteoporosis affects middle-aged and older persons, especially those with a family history of fragile bones in later years.

You may be susceptible to osteoporosis if you:

• Are a postmenopausal woman
• Have a Calcium-deficient diet
• Are a thin, petite woman
• Smoke
• Are sedentary
• Drink more than two alcoholic beverages a day
   

Men are also susceptible to osteoporosis

Although osteoporosis mainly affects women, more than 2 million men have the disease. In fact, one-third of men over the age of 75 have osteoporosis - and one in eight over the age of 50 suffer fractures related to this disease. After age 65, hip fractures are often more serious in men than in women. And men have a 26% higher death rate within a year after a hip fracture than women.
Warning signs in men include a change in posture and sudden back pain. However, the most common way osteoporosis is diagnosed in men is by a reduction in height or a fracture.