Dealing with the threat of OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis, the silent disease, can shorten your life but experts say it isn't inevitable and can be prevented if you take steps for bone health

Because there are typically no symptoms until the first fracture occurs, osteoporosis is considered a silent disease. Some call it a silent killer.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterised by decreased bone density and strength, leading to fragile, brittle bones that increase the risk of fractures, especially in the spine, hips and wrists.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (United States) estimates that more than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis.

Another 43 million have low bone mass, which is the precursor to osteoporosis.

By 2030, the number of adults with osteoporosis or low bone mass is estimated to increase by more than 30%, to 71 million.

The reasons for the increase include lifestyle issues, particularly smoking, lack of physical activity and alcohol abuse.

If you are older, it may be discouraging to read those statistics.

But orthopaedic specialists who have studied this disease know that osteoporosis is not inevitable.

The key to having healthy bones for a lifetime is to take some simple preventive measures—and the earlier, the better.

Although the symptoms are not obvious early on, certain signs will indicate your bones are becoming weaker.

The most serious complications of osteoporosis are fractures, which can lead to chronic pain, hospitalization, disability, depression, reduced quality of life and increased mortality.

Worldwide, osteoporosis causes nearly 9 million fractures annually.

That's one osteoporotic fracture every three seconds.

Height loss, back pain

Minor bumps or falls may lead to fractures, especially in the hip, wrist or spine.

These types of fractures are often the first sign of the disease.