What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects your bones. It means you have bones that are thin and brittle, with lots of holes inside them like a sponge. This makes them easy to break. Osteoporosis can lead to broken bones (fractures) in the hip, spine, and wrist. These fractures can be disabling and may make it hard for you to live on your own.

See a picture of healthy bone versus bone weakened by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects millions of older adults. It usually strikes after age 60. It’s most common in women, but men can get it too.

What causes osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is caused by a lack of bone strength or bone density. As you age, your bones get thinner naturally. But some things can make you more likely to have the severe bone thinning of osteoporosis. These things are called risk factors. Some risk factors you can change. Others you can't change.

Risk factors you can't change include:

• Your age. Your risk for osteoporosis goes up as you get older.
• Being a woman who has gone through menopause. After menopause, the body makes less estrogen. Estrogen protects the body from bone loss.
• Your family background. Osteoporosis tends to run in families.
• Having a slender body frame.
• Your race. People of European and Asian background are most likely to get osteoporosis.

Risk factors you can change include:

• Smoking.
• Not getting enough exercise.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Not getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus in the things you eat or from supplements.

To check your risk for osteoporosis, use this Interactive Tool: Are You At Risk for Osteoporosis?

What are the symptoms?

Osteoporosis can be very far along before you notice it. Sometimes the first sign is a broken bone in your hip, spine, or wrist after a bump or fall.

As the disease gets worse, you may have other signs, such as pain in your back. You might notice that you are not as tall as you used to be and that you have a curved backbone.

How is osteoporosis diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam. You may also have a test that measures your bone thickness (bone density test) and your risk for a fracture.

If the test finds that your bone thickness is less than normal but is not osteoporosis, you may have osteopenia, a less severe type of bone thinning.

It’s important to find and treat osteoporosis early to prevent bone fractures. The United States Preventive Services Task Force advises routine bone density testing for women age 65 and older. If you have a higher risk for fractures, it’s best to start getting the test at age 60.