As we age, a number of things happen to our
bodies, some more obvious than others. We
look in the mirror and see the gray hair, the
wrinkles, and the other visible signs of our
aging. Unfortunately, it is what we cannot see
that really hurts us. Neither gender can see
the calcium leaching from their bones, but
may experience the effect of the brittleness of
osteoporosis. This metabolic bone disorder
affecting from 25 to 44 million people in the
United States alone is the cause of more than
1.3 million bone fractures. Treating these
fractures cost patients billions of dollars each
year. Given our aging population, occurrence
of this disease can only increase and become
more pervasive as the years continue.
Osteoporosis is most commonly found in
postmenopausal women, but it can be found
in men and juveniles as well. By age 70, twice
as many women are diagnosed with osteoporosis
than men.