A bone disease in which the amount of proteins that form its matrix and the calcium mineral salts that make it hard are reduced. The result is a weakened bone that often ends up fracturing. It most frequently affects older women.
Factors that favour its appearance have been identified: advanced age, small size, slim build, having a family history of osteoporosis, white Asian race and certain medications,
They usually do not cause symptoms until the bone fractures.
A safe diagnosis is made by bone densitometry, which measures the mineral density of the bone.
To delay the onset of bone fractures, elimination of tobacco, proper diet and exercise are recommended. There are also pharmacological treatments that slow down the rate at which bones deteriorate.
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- World Health Organization. Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Geneva 1994
- Robert Lindsay. Osteoporosis. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna, 19e. Capítulo 425.
