Osteoporosis is the most prevalent bone disease in the world. It is a disease of the skeletal system that decreases the bone mass and structural deterioration of the bone tissue. With this disease, there is an increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to develop fractures. It is also the main cause of fractures in the world (Osteoporosis, 2010). The most common fractures related to osteoporosis are in the hip and wrists. The risk of getting this disease is two to four times higher in women than it is with men. This disease can be extremely painful and the risk factors that are included are aging, being a female, having a low body weight, having low sex hormones or menopause, smoking, and some medications (WebMd, 2005).
Usually, one does not know they have this disease until they fracture a bone but sometimes, an individual can figure out they have it by seeing if they have any of possible symptoms which usually are backaches. The most common places where people get fractured and find out that they have osteoporosis are in the wrist, hip, or spine. A lot of patients that have osteoporosis complain about having back pains and usually a doctor or nurse can tell when the patient has a posture that is inclined, or they seem to be bending. Although osteoporosis is a disease that occurs mostly in older people, especially in women, the disease can affect anyone, such as males, kids, and teenagers. The disease is common in kids because it usually develops through another condition the child may have such as anorexia or leukemia. This is called secondary juvenile osteoporosis and this is the most common type of the disease that affects kids. But a child could also be diagnosed with osteoporosis due to genetics, such as the child not having an average bone mass (WebMd, 2005). .
There are many causes when it comes to developing osteoporosis. Sometimes children get diagnosed with this because they do not have enough calcium in their diet or they do not have enough exercise that helps them build stronger bones.