Fast Facts

• Each year there are more than 2 million osteoporotic fractures in the United States.
• Every year women have more osteoporotic fractures than stroke, heart attack and breast cancer combined.
• Half of all women and 20% of all men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
• About $18 billion is spent on osteoporotic and associated fractures each year in the U.S. and the cost is rising.
• Osteoporosis is an under-diagnosed and under-treated condition. This is particularly alarming given that osteoporosis is a progressive disease - it gets increasingly worse without intervention.

Osteoporosis can be prevented

• Osteoporosis and low bone mass affect nearly 44 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women.
• In 2002, it is estimated that over ten million Americans already have the disease and nearly 34 million more have low bone mass, called osteopenia, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.
• Osteoporosis is often thought of as an older person's disease, but it can strike at any age. Osteoporosis is known as the pediatric disease with geriatric consequences. (see Kids section to learn how important it is to build bone strength throughout life).
• While Caucasian (white) and Asian women are most at risk, men and women of all races are at risk of osteoporosis. 10% of African-American women over age 50 have osteoporosis; an additional 30% have low bone density that puts them at risk of developing osteoporosis.
• Women often lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the 5-7 years following menopause.
• Each year, men suffer 1/3 of all the hip fractures that occur, and 1/3 of these men will not survive more than a year.
• Despite the large number of men affected, osteoporosis in men remains under diagnosed, under-reported, and inadequately researched.
• 24% of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die from complications within the year following their fracture.

Osteoporosis can be prevented

If you have a diagnosis of osteoporosis, there are treatments to stop bone loss and, in some cases, you can increase bone strength.

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