Osteoporosis – About and Causes
What is Osteoporosis ?
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones deteriorate or become brittle and fragile due to low bone mass and bone tissue loss. The condition is often referred to as a “silent disease” because you cannot feel your bones getting weaker, and many people don’t even know they have the condition until after they break a bone.
Here are few causes of Osteoporosis :-
- Bone is living, growing tissue that consists mostly of the protein collagen, which provides a soft framework, and the mineral calcium phosphate, which adds strength and hardens the framework.
- Bone is not a static part of the body — it’s constantly being resorbed (broken down) and formed throughout your life.
Osteoporosis: Risk Factors
Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures, particularly of the hips, spine, and wrists. In fact, osteoporosis causes an estimated 9 million fractures each year worldwide.
As the most common type of bone disease, osteoporosis affects approximately 10 million Americans, and another 44 million people have low bone density, which puts them at risk for the disease.
While osteoporosis mainly affects women, men can also develop the condition. In fact, 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 four men who are over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.