Osteoporosis is a medical condition characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of the micro-architecture of bones which result in bone fragility and higher susceptibility to fracture.
Bone fractures mostly affect vertebrae, wrists, humeri and femura. Vertebral fractures and, with lower incidence fractures of the femoral neck, may occur spontaneously, simply due to the body weight on the vertebral column or on the femur.
The aging process makes all adults susceptible to osteoporosis, however gender and race-ethnicity impact the incidence of osteoporosis and susceptibility to fractures. Women show a higher incidence of osteoporosis than men do. White and Asian women have a higher incidence of osteoporosis than Mexican/American and African/American women do.
These differences in gender and race-ethnicity may probably be due to genetic determination of bone size, metabolism and composition. In women, post-menopausal Osteoporosis represents roughly 80% of all Osteoporoses.
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