Osteoporosis overview

It’s estimated three million people in the UK have osteoporosis and there are over 230,000 fractures every year as a result. Osteoporosis, or thinning bones, is a serious condition that can result in tremendous pain from fractures. Risk factors for osteoporosis include ageing, being female, low body weight, reduced sex hormones such as after the menopause, smoking, and some medications. You may experience no symptoms of this bone disease until you fracture a bone. Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis includes calcium and vitamin D, regular exercise, and osteoporosis medication, if needed.