How osteoporosis develops

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become brittle and fragile due to low bone mass and bone tissue loss. It's the most common type of bone disease, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and increases your risk of fractures, particularly of the hips, spine, and wrists. Prevalence In the United States, nearly 54 million people ages 50 and older were living with osteoporosis or osteopenia (low bone mass ) in 2010, according to a 2014 article in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. More specifically, 10.2 million adults had osteoporosis, and 43.4 million adults had osteopenia, which puts a person at high risk for osteoporosis.