Osteoporosis has no symptoms. So how can you assess your bone health? How often do you think about the strength of your skeleton ? In terms of future health, you’re probably more concerned about cancer or heart disease than broken bones. But as we get older, the impact of a fracture can be devastating.
It means loss of independence, and gruelling surgery. “The mortality rate one year after a hip fracture is 30%” says Mr Arman Memarzadeh, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Nuffield Health. “Even one month after a hip fracture, the mortality rate is 10%.
” This is a very real risk in later life for the 3.5 million people in the UK with osteoporosis. Half of women and 20 per cent of men over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Despite its prevalence, it’s known as the “silent epidemic” because it has no symptoms. Often the first sign is a fracture, by which point it’s quite advanced. So can we find out how well our bones are ageing , and reduce our risk?.
