What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis literally means porous bone or soft bone. It is reduction in bone density, sufficient to compromise the skeleton so that fractures occur with minimal injury. Thus, osteoporosis can be considered as loss of the 'engineering' strength of bone. There are many causes of osteoporosis. Age-related osteoporosis affects the majority of older men and women and is due to a decline in new bone formation. Postmenopausal osteoporosis, the type considered here, is due to an increase in bone resorption and is the commonest metabolic bone disease in this age group in India. What are the effects of osteoporosis? Postmenopausal osteoporosis predisposes to fracture at certain sites. Commonest are the distal radius (wrist), the vertebrae (unit of the spine) and the proximal femur (upper thigh); less common are the rib and the humerus (arm). Can established osteoporosis be treated? Treatment of established bone loss is difficult because no currently available treatment modality will restore reduced bone density to normal. Therefore, prevention becomes all-important. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | MAIN PAGE