What you need to know about osteoporosis Introduction to osteoporosis First the good news — osteoporosis is a condition that is both preventable and it is treatable if caught in time. However, the bad news is that there is not enough awareness of the opportunities for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and too many people — mostly women over the age of 50 — suffer significant illness, deformity and sometimes death from this condition. Osteoporosis itself does not cause back pain. However, osteoporosis can weaken the vertebral body (spine) so that it can no longer withstand normal stress or a minor trauma (e.g. a fall), resulting in a fracture. In fact, a fracture is typically the first outward sign of the disease, and advanced osteoporosis is potentially very painful and disabling. It is a fairly well known fact that osteoporosis is one of the most common conditions in the US. Approximately 25 million women and 5 million men suffer from this syndrome. Some key statistics include: Approximately 1.5 million people suffer from an osteoporotic (caused by osteoporosis) fracture each year By the age of 90, one in every two women and one in six men will sustain some type of osteoporotic fracture. The lifetime risk of death from a hip fracture resulting from osteoporosis is equal to that of breast cancer in women (2.8%)

Introduction to osteoporosis First the good news — osteoporosis is a condition that is both preventable and it is treatable if caught in time. However, the bad news is that there is not enough awareness of the opportunities for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and too many people — mostly women over the age of 50 — suffer significant illness, deformity and sometimes death from this condition. Osteoporosis itself does not cause back pain. However, osteoporosis can weaken the vertebral body (spine) so that it can no longer withstand normal stress or a minor trauma (e.g. a fall), resulting in a fracture. In fact, a fracture is typically the first outward sign of the disease, and advanced osteoporosis is potentially very painful and disabling. It is a fairly well known fact that osteoporosis is one of the most common conditions in the US. Approximately 25 million women and 5 million men suffer from this syndrome. Some key statistics include: Approximately 1.5 million people suffer from an osteoporotic (caused by osteoporosis) fracture each year By the age of 90, one in every two women and one in six men will sustain some type of osteoporotic fracture. The lifetime risk of death from a hip fracture resulting from osteoporosis is equal to that of breast cancer in women (2.8%)