What are the symptoms and problems of osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis usually develops slowly over several years without any symptoms. However, after a certain amount of bone loss, the following may occur:
A bone fracture after a minor injury such as a fall
If you have osteoporosis, the force of a simple fall to the ground is often enough to fracture a bone. (A simple fall to the ground from standing does not usually cause a fracture if you do not have osteoporosis.) The fractures are most commonly of the hip, wrist, and vertebrae (the bones that make up the spine). A fractured bone in an older person can be serious. For example, about half the people who have a hip fracture are unable to live independently afterwards.
It is estimated that about 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 have a fall each year, increasing to 1 in 2 people aged 80 years and older. Over 60,000 people have a hip fracture each year in the UK, and about 19 in 20 of these are the result of a fall in those who have osteoporosis.
Loss of height, persistent back pain and a stooping (bent forward) posture
These symptoms occur if you develop one or more fractured vertebrae which become 'squashed' with the weight of the body. A vertebra with osteoporosis may fracture even without a fall or significant force on it. Over 120,000 vertebral fractures occur each year in the UK and only about 1 in 4 of these are caused by a fall.
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