Osteoporosis is associated with a considerable morbidity
and mortality, especially among older individuals and
females. The reason is increased risk of osteoporotic
fractures mostly of hip, spine and the forearm. In 2000,
there were about 9 million osteoporotic fractures
worldwide of which 1.6 million were hip fractures; 1.7
million were forearm fractures; and 1.4 million were
vertebral fractures.3 There is currently no data available on