Osteoporosis is often called a “silent thief” because bone loss proceeds painlessly and unnoticed—until a sudden low‑energy fracture unmasks the damage. For older adults, especially post‑menopausal women, this systemic skeletal disease threatens independence, mobility and longevity.
Clinically, osteoporosis is defined in orthogeriatric practice as a systemic bone disorder marked by reduced bone mass and qualitative changes in bone micro‑architecture that together heighten fragility‑fracture risk. Diagnostic confirmation relies on dual‑energy X‑ray absorptiometry (DXA); a T‑score of –2.5 or lower at the hip or spine signals established disease.
In the United Kingdom, the Royal Osteoporosis Society estimates that around 3.5 million people are living with osteoporosis today—roughly one in seven of all adults over fifty. Every year, more than half a million fragility fractures are linked to the condition, generating billions of pounds in healthcare and social‑care costs while eroding quality of life for patients and carers alike.
Across the Atlantic, the public‑health burden is even larger. U.S. survey data show that about 10 million adults aged 50 and older meet DXA criteria for osteoporosis, and a further 43 million have low bone mass (osteopenia). Age‑adjusted analyses from NHANES 2017‑18 put overall osteoporosis prevalence in this age group at 12.6 %, rising to nearly one in five women.
Taken together, these figures underscore why fracture prevention is a cornerstone of healthy ageing strategies on both sides of the Atlantic. Weight‑bearing exercise, adequate dietary calcium and vitamin D, fall‑prevention measures and timely DXA screening can all delay or blunt bone loss. For those already diagnosed, evidence‑based pharmacotherapies—ranging from bisphosphonates to newer anabolic agents—reduce fracture risk and preserve autonomy. Recognising the scale of osteoporosis is the first step toward tackling its hidden but profound human and economic costs.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2022, FastStats – Osteoporosis. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/osteoporosis.htm (Accessed 22 July 2025).
Falaschi, P. & Marsh, D. (eds) 2021, Orthogeriatrics: The Management of Older Patients with Fragility Fractures, 2nd edn, Springer, Cham.
International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) 2021, SCOPE 2021 Country Profile: United Kingdom. IOF, Nyon.
Leave a comment