Osteoporosis is basically the deterioration of your bones. It can make your bones fragile and it can make you more likely to have fractures, also known as broken bones. It is a major public health threat in our nation.

Work the numbers: 300,000 hip fractures, 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and more than 300,000 fractures at other sites each year. What these osteoporosis-related injuries add up to is a lot of pain and suffering - plus an estimated national cost of $17 billion annually for hospital and nursing home care.
 
While the exact cause of osteoporosis is not known, we do know that osteoporosis is linked to the natural aging process and decreased production of hormones (estrogen in women and testosterone in men). Insufficient amounts of calcium and phosphorus (two minerals needed to build strong bones) and vitamin D (which helps the body use calcium effectively) also play a key role in development of the disease.

In normal, healthy adults, bone is constantly being broken down and rebuilt. The rate at which this happens increases as you age.

• During the first 25 to 30 years of your life, new bone is made faster than existing bone is broken down.
• During the next 10 to 20 years, bone is broken down at about the same rate as bone is made.
• In women between the ages of 45 and 55 (soon after menopause) and men between the ages of 45 and 50 (when testosterone production decreases), bone begins to break down faster than new bone is made - a loss of about 2% per year after age 40.
• Bone loss in women varies, but it usually occurs at a faster rate - as much as 6% per year - in the first few years after menopause.
• In men, osteoporosis usually has little affect until about age 65.

Women are at greater risk for osteoporosis than men because:

• Men have higher bone mass (bigger bones) than women.
• Women lose a certain amount of protection against osteoporosis when their bodies stop producing estrogen, usually when they reach menopause.

The most serious consequence of osteoporosis is broken bones. Bones that are fractured most often include:

• The hip. Hip fractures can be very serious because they occur most often in older adults and usually require surgery. Hip fractures are often caused by falls. Even a slight fall can fracture a weakened hip bone.
• The spine (vertebrae). About half of broken bones caused by osteoporosis occur in the spine. Vertebrae that are weakened by osteoporosis may also break and collapse on top of each other, resulting in a compression fracture.
• The wrist and forearm.

Other problems that commonly result from osteoporosis include:

• Developing a curved upper back, also known as  "dowager's hump."
• Breathing difficulty, if the ribs are affected and/or if the back is stooped.
• Long-term bone pain after a bone is broken.
• Back and other body pain.
• Reduced mobility due to pain and complications from fractures.
• Getting shorter in height.