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Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in the world. Aging is the main cause of osteoporosis. So as people live longer, it is getting more and more common.

Experts think the number of broken bones caused by osteoporosis could double over the next 50 years.¹ Doctors call broken bones fractures.

Osteoporosis is common in the United States.²

• Experts think that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis.
• About 1 in 2 women and 1 in 8 men over 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis during the rest of their life.
• Osteoporosis causes more than 1.5 million fractures each year.
• With this condition, fractures of your spine are most common, followed by fractures of your hip, then fractures of your wrist.

White and Asian women are more likely to get osteoporosis than women of African origin. African-Caribbean women have stronger bones than white women at all ages.³

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.