Love your bones: finding and treating osteoporosis

This is an excerpt of the blog that appeared on Evidently Cochrane.

Be proactive and #LoveYourBones is the message of this year’s World Osteoporosis Day. The campaign is a call to action for members of the public to act early to protect their bone and muscle health, and for health professionals and those who fund health care to prioritize osteoporosis and fracture prevention by ensuring that people who are at high risk are assessed and offered appropriate treatment. People are also being asked to raise awareness of the campaign by wearing white, not a colour that does anything for me, so instead I’m blogging some Cochrane evidence.

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones through a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD), making the risk of broken bones (fractures) more likely. It might not be discovered until someone has a fracture. Hip, wrist  and spinal bone fractures are the most common. Losing bone is a normal part of ageing, but in some people this process happens faster than normal. Over three million people in the UK have osteoporosis. According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, in the over 50s, one in two women and one in five men will break a bone due to osteoporosis...

Read the full article here