clipped from: www.bbc.co.uk 
OsteoporosisAbout three million people in the UK have osteoporosis, and every year more than 230,000 fractures occur because of it. One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will have a fracture mainly as a result of the condition. |
Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become thin and weak, and break easily. It frequently goes undiagnosed until a fracture occurs, as there are no warning signs. The spine, wrist and hips are particularly vulnerable to fracture.
Occasionally a person develops a dowager hump or kyphosis at the top of their spine due to collapse of the vertebrae, and notices they have lost height. But mostly the thinning bones remain hidden away inside the body, with no symptoms or signs to alert someone to the fact that they have osteoporosis, until a minor bump or fall causes a bone fracture such as a broken hip or a crushed vertebrae.