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Osteoporosis is a disorder in which bones gradually become thinner and weaker until they can break easily. People with advanced osteoporosis often get fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. How often have you heard of an elderly woman who "fell and broke her hip?" It's possible that her fall caused her weakened hip to break. But it's also possible that the bone in her hip was so fragile that a sudden strain or movement made it break, and then caused the woman to fall.

The risk of osteoporosis becomes greater as you age. Women typically have less bone tissue and lose bone faster than men because of the changes that happen with menopause. But osteoporosis can affect men, too.

People usually cannot tell that they have osteoporosis and their bones are getting weaker. Often, the first sign is a broken bone. With osteoporosis, the spine bones can collapse, causing back pain.

Hip fractures can lead to the loss of mobility and independence in the elderly. Vertebral fractures may lead to the loss of height and the formation of a permanent curvature of the spine, known as a "dowager's hump." This condition results in a hunched appearance, limits movement, forces the abdomen to protrude, may cause respiratory problems and can make digestion more troublesome.

The best ways to avoid the disabling consequences of osteoporosis is to prevent bone loss before it becomes advanced.

• About 10 million people in the U.S. already have osteoporosis. Another 34 million have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for this disease.
• About eight of 10 people with osteoporosis are women.
• A woman's risk of fracturing her hip is the same as her combined risks for breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.
• On average, 24 percent of people over 50 years old who suffer a hip fracture die in the year following the fracture.
• At six months after a hip fracture, only 15 percent of hip fracture patients can walk across a room without help.
• In addition to hip fractures, vertebral fractures are also linked to an increased risk of death.

Sources: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Osteoporosis. Accessed May 28, 2008. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis: What is it? Accessed May 28, 2008.

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