Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Osteoporosis

What Is It?

Osteoporosis is a bone disorder. The bones become thinner, lose their strength and are more likely to break. People with osteoporosis have a higher risk of fractures. Their bones can fracture even during everyday movements, such as bending or coughing. Osteoporosis is not a form of arthritis, although it can cause fractures that lead to arthritis.

In the United States, osteoporosis causes more than 2 million fractures each year. It is much more common in women than in men because of the hormonal changes that occur during menopause. In people with osteoporosis, the most common fractures include those of the wrist, hip and spine. Fractures of the hip and spine are most common among people in their 70s although other fractures may occur at younger ages.

Osteoporosis can cause a great deal of suffering, including loss of independence or even death, especially when the fracture involves the hip. Hip fractures can be difficult to heal. They reduce the person's ability to move around, which can lead to complications and other health problems. Up to 36% of older people who fracture a hip die within a year of the injury.

You are more likely to develop osteoporosis if you:

• Are female

• Are 50 or older

• Are postmenopausal

• Have a diet low in calcium or an intestinal problem that prevents calcium and vitamins from being absorbed

• Have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or if you take too much thyroid hormone

• Lead a sedentary lifestyle, with little or no regular exercise

• Are thin

• Take certain medications, such as prednisone

• Have a certain ethnic background (Caucasians and people of Asian descent are more likely to develop osteoporosis than African-Americans.)

• Smoke

• Drink too much alcohol: Although the precise amount that might be harmful to bone health is not clear, most experts recommend that women avoid drinking more than one drink a day and that men avoid more than two drinks a day.

• Have a family history of osteoporosis

• Have a history of at least one "fragility" fracture (one caused by little or no trauma)