Monday, 28 July 2014

WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects bone strength (the word osteoporosis literally means "porous bones"). Bone is made of collagen fibres (tough, elastic fibres) and minerals (gritty, hard material). It is a living tissue and contains cells that make, mould and resorb (take back up) bone. Initially, as you grow, bone formation exceeds bone resorption. But, as you get older, this reverses and, after about the age of 45, you start to lose a certain amount of bone material. Your bones become less dense and less strong. The amount of bone loss can vary. If you have a lot of bone loss, then you have osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis, your bones can break more easily than normal, especially if you have an injury such as a fall. If you have a milder degree of bone loss, this is known as osteopenia.
In the UK more than two million women are thought to have osteoporosis. Women lose bone material more rapidly than men, especially after the menopause when their levels of oestrogen fall. Oestrogen is a hormone and helps to protect against bone loss. At the age of 50, about 2 in 100 women have osteoporosis. This rises to 1 in 4 women at the age of 80. But, osteoporosis can also affect men. Over a third of women and one in five men in the UK have one or more bone fractures because of osteoporosis in their lifetime.

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