CZ:Featured article/Current
Osteoporosis
As defined by the National Osteoporosis Foundation:
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Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and [microarchitectural] structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, although any bone can be affected.[1] |
The increase in fragility results from both low bone mass and impaired bone quality.
Emphasizing the factor of ‘bone strength’, a factor in addition to and distinct from low bone mass, and the consequent increase risk of sustaining a fracture, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy has defined osteoporosis in 2001 as
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a skeletal disease characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture. Bone strength primarily reflects the integration of bone density and bone quality...[2] |
Primary osteoporosis can be of two major types: postmenopausal osteoporosis (osteoporosis, postmenopausal) and age-related or senile osteoporosis."
Although more common in women, osteoporosis may occur in males.[3]
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