Osteoporosis

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Summary

Osteoporosis is a disease that thins and weakens the bones. Your bones become fragile and break easily, especially the bones in the hip, spine, and wrist. In the United States, millions of people either already have osteoporosis or are at high risk due to low bone mass.

Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it is more common in older women. Risk factors include

Getting older
Being small and thin
Having a family history of osteoporosis
Taking certain medicines
Being a white or Asian woman
Having low bone density

Osteoporosis is a silent disease. You might not know you have it until you break a bone. A bone mineral density test is the best way to check your bone health.

To keep bones strong, eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, exercise, and do not smoke. If needed, medicines can also help. It is also important to try to avoid falling down. Falls are the number one cause of fractures in older adults.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

Bone Health for Life: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
Handout on Health: Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Osteoporosis (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis Overview (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What Is Osteoporosis? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Bone Markers (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Bone Mass Measurement: What the Numbers Mean (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
Bone-Density Tests: When You Need Them - and When You Don't (ABIM Foundation)
How Often Should Women Have Bone Tests? (National Institutes of Health)

Prevention and Risk Factors

Exercise for Your Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
Healthy Bones at Every Age (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF Also in Spanish
Once Is Enough: A Guide to Preventing Future Fractures (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Treatments and Therapies

Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis: Benefits and Risks (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish
Bone Density: MedinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)
Comparing Osteoporosis Drugs: The Bisphosphonates (Consumers Union of U.S.) - PDF
How Long Should You Take Certain Osteoporosis Drugs? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
Osteoporosis Treatment: Medications Can Help (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Red Clover (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Soy (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Treatment (National Osteoporosis Foundation)
Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish
Vertebroplasty for Spine Fracture Pain (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Living With

Calcium and Vitamin D: Important at Every Age (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
Exercise and Osteoporosis (National Institute on Aging)
Exercising with Osteoporosis: Stay Active the Safe Way (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Food and Your Bones (National Osteoporosis Foundation)
Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation to Prevent Fractures (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - PDF

Related Issues

Bed Rest and Immobilization: Risk Factors for Bone Loss (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
For People with Osteoporosis: How to Find a Doctor (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Oral Health and Bone Disease (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis and Arthritis: Two Common but Different Conditions (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis and Your Spine (National Osteoporosis Foundation)
Recovering from Falls (National Osteoporosis Foundation)
Smoking and Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Stress Fractures (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
What Are Osteoporosis and Arthritis and How Are They Different? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
What Breast Cancer Survivors Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People Recovering from Alcoholism Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Anorexia Nervosa Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Asthma Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Celiac Disease Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Diabetes Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
What People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Lactose Intolerance Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What People with Lupus Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
What People with Rheumatoid Arthritis Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What Prostate Cancer Survivors Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Specifics

Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: Hajdu-Cheney syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: juvenile primary osteoporosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: mucolipidosis III alpha/beta (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: mucolipidosis III gamma (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Snyder-Robinson syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Werner syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

Check Up On Your Bones (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Healthy Bones (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Videos and Tutorials

Osteoporosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
What Is Osteoporosis? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Statistics and Research

Adding a Vitamin D Supplement Likely Does Not Improve Knee Osteoarthritis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
FastStats: Osteoporosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass at the Femur Neck or Lumbar Spine in Older Adults: United States, 2005-2008 (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteoporosis (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteoporotic Fractures (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Glossary (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
What Is Bone? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Find an Expert

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish
National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases~National Resource Center (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Children

Osteoporosis (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

How Does Physical Activity Help Build Healthy Bones? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Men

Osteoporosis in Men (Hormone Health Network) - PDF
Osteoporosis in Men (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Women

Exercise and Bone Health for Women: The Skeletal Risk of Overtraining (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis and Asian American Women (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis and Hispanic Women (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Osteoporosis and Women's Health (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish
Osteoporosis: Peak Bone Mass in Women (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Seniors

Eldercare at Home: Bone Weakness (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Osteoporosis in Aging: Protect Your Bones with Exercise (National Institutes of Health)
Osteoporosis: The Bone Thief (National Institute on Aging) Also in Spanish
Osteoporosis: Unique to Older Adults (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

Bone mineral density test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Calcium, vitamin D, and your bones (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Exercise, lifestyle, and your bones (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Medicines for osteoporosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Osteoporosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
What causes bone loss? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish