Osteoporosis

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Men
• Women
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Osteoporosis is a disease that thins and weakens the bones. Your bones become fragile and fracture (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
• Osteoporosis (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Osteoporosis Overview (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone Density Scan (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• 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 a Test and When You Don't (ABIM Foundation)

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)
• Once Is Enough: A Guide to Preventing Future Fractures (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Treatments and Therapies

• Bone Density: MedinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Comparing Osteoporosis Drugs: The Bisphosphonates (Consumer Reports) - PDF
• Osteoporosis Treatment: Medications Can Help (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) 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
• Food and Your Bones -- Osteoporosis Nutrition Guidelines (Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation)

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 (Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation)
• Pelvic Fractures (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Recovering from Falls (Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation)
• Smoking and Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Stress Fractures (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) 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

• Hajdu-Cheney syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Juvenile primary osteoporosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Osteoporosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Osteoporosis (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: Effect of Surgical Timing on the Refracture Rate after Percutaneous Vertebroplasty:...
• Article: Effect of educational program based on theory of planned behavior on...
• Article: Improvement of osteoporosis Care Organized by Nurses: ICON study - Protocol...
• Osteoporosis -- see more articles

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

• Kids and Their Bones: A Guide for Parents (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Men

• Osteoporosis in Men (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Women

• Osteoporosis: (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• 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)

Older Adults

• Exercising with Chronic Conditions (National Institute on Aging)
• Osteoporosis in Aging: Protect Your Bones with Exercise (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

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