Osteoporosis is a progressive bone loss condition which weakens your bones, causing bones to break and deform. Osteo is Latin for bone, and porosis means porous. Put them together, you get porous bones, or bones full of holes, - not a pleasant condition.
Here are some statistics about Osteoporosis:
- Over 28 million Americans are affected by it, and 80% of the affect are women
- 1 out of 2 women and 1 out of 8 men over 50 will have a bone fracture related to Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis can strike at any age, but more often at older ages.
- Estimated $10 billion spent annually to treat this disease
Osteoporosis Symptoms and Warning Signs
 Osteoporosis is rather difficult to spot, and often, you don’t know you’re affected until you break or fracture a bone. This is why it’s called the ‘silent disease’.
Women are especially affect by this disease. In the 5 to 7 years after menopause, they can lose up to 20% of their bone mass. The best, and safest way is to take a bone density test. This test will:
- Determine your rate of bone loss when conducted over a period of time
- Determine if you’re affected by Osteoporosis, so preventive measures can be taken
- Predict the chances of a bone fracture
While there is no simple way to find out whether you’re affected by Osteoporosis, there are risk factors you can consider to determine your chances of being affected. Consider these factors that contribute to Osteoporosis:
- Females are much more likely than males to be affected
- A low calcium diet
- Older ages
- Inactive lifestyle
- Cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol drinking
- A thin or small body frame
- Other members of your family affected by Osteoporosis
- Anorexia or bulimia
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