Know your osteoporosis risk
Bone is living, growing tissue that changes as a person ages. Although healthy bone can naturally diminish as a person gets older, seniors in particular are at elevated risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease marked by rapid bone deterioration.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone mineral density and bone mass decrease, or when the strength and structure of bone changes, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Bone is constantly being broken down and replaced. When a person has osteoporosis, creation of new bone cannot keep up with the loss of old bone.
Osteoporosis can make bones so brittle that even a seemingly innocuous movement, such as coughing, bumping into something or bending over, can cause bones to break, says the Mayo Clinic. These breaks commonly occur in the spine, wrist or hip.
Osteoporosis affects people of all genders, ages and races. However, white and Asian women, especially those past menopause, are at the highest risk.
The…