Osteoporosis is a thinning of the bones that causes them to become porous and fragile. It affects women more than men, is associated with aging, and progresses more rapidly after menopause. The good news is that osteoporosis is largely preventable and treatable.

Osteoporosis is sometimes called the "silent disease", and most people don't know they have osteoporosis until it has progressed — often to the point of fracture, usually in the hip, wrist or spine. Even when undiagnosed osteoporosis results in a vertebral fracture, the pain is frequently dismissed as general back pain. This lack of awareness can lead to serious illness, deformity, even death.
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD