Osteoporosis is a general thinning of bone. It is a condition
that happens slowly over many years and affects the whole
skeleton.
In healthy people, there is a delicate balance between
bone growth and bone loss, which keeps the skeleton
in
good shape. In people with osteoporosis, the rate of
bone loss outweighs the rate of bone formation. As a
result,
the bones are more fragile and are more likely to break,
especially bones in the wrist, hip and spine.
Osteoporosis is a very common condition, affecting up to 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men in the UK over the age of 50. In any one year, 70,000 hip fractures, 50,000 wrist fractures and 40,000 fractures of the spine are caused by osteoporosis.
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Last Updated 06/03/2008 17:20:02
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