What Is Osteoporosis?

This article starts below.

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease of compromised bone strength leading to an increased risk of fracture. Osteoporosis is considered a global health problem being a major cause of morbidity in the elderly.

The fractures associated with osteoporosis cause considerable disability and loss of quality of life and can be fatal. Up to half the bone loss experienced by women is attributable to loss of estrogen. Currently, one in every three women is suffering from this silent disease.

Osteoporosis is defined by bone mineral density measurement according to the WHO criteria:

Normal bone density

T-score more than or equal to -1

Osteopenia (low bone mass)

T-score between -1 and -2.5

Osteoporosis

T-score less than or equal to -2.5

Severe osteoporosis

T-score less than or equal to -2.5 with fragility fracture

Excerpt from the National Guidelines for Osteoporosis Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment