What is osteoporosis? what causes osteoporosis? why osteoporosis is more common in women?

Osteoporosis, which literally means porous bone, is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs. Around the world,1 in3 women and1 in5 men are at risk of an osteoporotic fracture. In fact, an osteoporotic fracture is estimated to occur every3 seconds. The most common fractures associated with osteoporosis occur at the hip, spine and wrist. The likelihood of these fractures occurring, particularly at the hip and spine, increases with age in both women and men. Vertebral fractures can result in serious consequences, including loss of height, intense back pain and deformity (sometimes called Dowager's Hump). A hip fracture often requires surgery and may result in loss of independence or death. What are your osteoporosis risk factors?

• Age
• Female gender
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Previous fracture
• Ethnicity
• Menopause/hysterectomy
• Long term glucocorticoid therapy
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Primary/secondary hypogonadism in men
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Low body mass index
• Poor nutrition
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Eating disorders
• Insufficient exercise
• Low dietary calcium intake
• Frequent falls

The good news is there are many steps that can be taken to prevent and diagnosis osteoporosis. It's now a largely treatable condition and, with a combination of lifestyle changes and appropriate medical treatment, many fractures can be avoided.

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. It happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone or both. As a result, your bones become weak and may break from a minor fall or, in serious cases, even from simple actions, like sneezing or bumping into furniture

Osteoporosis means less bone mass and more fragile bones that are more likely to break.