Osteoporosis
Welcome to "Osteoporosis Info" a site devoted to providing access to concise and unbiased information related to Osteoporosis.
Introduction
Osteoporosis is a serious health care problem. It affects the fastest growing segment of our population, the elderly.
Osteoporosis is characterized by debilitating fractures. These fractures occur most often at the hip, spine and/or wrist..
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on Osteoporosis
What is Osteoporosis?
In people with osteoporosis, bone mass is reduced
Normal bone is composed of an organic phase and a mineral phase
The mineral component occupies roughly 50% of bone volume and nearly 75% of normal bone mass. It is the mineral component that gives bone its characteristic strength and rigidity.
Whole bones consist of two types of infrastructure. Cortical or compact bone which can be found in the shafts of long bones like the femur (thigh) and trabecular or spongy bone which is found at the ends of the long bones or in specialized bones like the vertebrae. Trabecular bone is porous and is similar in appearance to coral In osteoporosis, the trabecular bone porosity increases. The mass of bone in a unit volume decreases. This weakens the overall structure, making it more susceptible to fracture.
In osteoporosis, the trabecular bone porosityincreases. The mass of bone in a unit volumedecreases. This weakens the overall structure,making it more susceptible to fracture
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