Osteoporosis facts
• 1 in 3 women and 1 and 5 men will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime.
• Fractures from osteoporosis are more common than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined.
• 28 percent of women and 37 percent of men who suffer a hip fracture will die within the following year.
• Bone mineral density tests are used to: diagnose bone loss and osteoporosis, see how well osteoporosis medicine is working, and predict your risk of future bone fractures
• Osteoporosis can strike at any age.
• Osteoporosis is often called the “silent thief” because bone loss occurs without symptoms unless one has fractured.
• Peak bone mass is achieved at age 16-20 in girls and age 20-25 in young men.
• Women and men alike begin to lose bone in their mid-30s; as they approach menopause, women lose bone at a greater rate, from 2-3 percent per year.
• A study recently reported that just 44 percent of people discharged from the hospital for a hip fracture return home; of the rest, 10 percent go to another hospital, 27 percent go to rehabilitation care, and 17 percent go to long-term care facilities.
Source: Monongahela Valley Hospital