Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Topic Page:
Osteoporosis
View All Osteoporosis Health Alerts • View All Osteoporosis Special Reports
What is osteoporosis? The word “osteoporosis” means porous bone. A person with osteoporosis typically has low bone mass, poor bone quality, and fragile bones. This combination, together with the increased risk of falling among older people, leads to painful fractures and other health problems.
About 10 million Americans—eight million women and two million men—already have osteoporosis, and 34 million more are at increased risk because of low bone mass (osteopenia). The risk of developing osteoporosis increases in both women and men as they grow older. Women are more susceptible than men, because compared with men they have less total bone mass to begin with and because estrogen plays a vital role in bone health. As the production of natural estrogen drops off during menopause, the rate of bone loss begins to pull ahead of the rate of bone formation.
How Johns Hopkins can help: If you or someone you care about has osteoporosis, obtaining accurate information is an important part of the treatment plan. The more you know about your condition, the more you will understand the rationale behind the treatment, and the better prepared you will be to participate in your own disease management.
- In this area of Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, Suzanne M. Jan de Beur, M.D., Director of Endocrinology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and her colleagues explain the causes of osteoporosis, the latest diagnostic techniques and treatment options, and preventive steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing this serious condition.
- You’ll find articles on: exercises to protect yourself from osteoporosis, treating osteopenia, soy and osteoporosis prevention, bone density testing, how osteoporosis develops, and much more.
