THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

It used to be thought that a humped back and an increased likelihood of fracturing a wrist or hip were simply associated with getting old but it is now known that these painful problems are related to bone weakness that occurs independently of ageing. One in four women over 60 and one in forty men suffer pain and disability from fractures because their bones have become too porous and brittle.1 This disease is called osteoporosis. It is on the increase and has been referred to, by the National Osteoporosis Society and others, as the ‘silent epidemic’.