Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. Osteoporosis means "porous bone." When a healthy bone is viewed under a microscope it looks like a honeycomb, although when osteoporosis occurs the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much larger than in healthy bone. Osteoporotic bones have less density or mass and contain abnormal tissue structure in which as a result, bones become weaker and are more likely to break. Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist, but other bones can break too. In addition to causing permanent pain, osteoporosis causes some patients to lose height. When osteoporosis affects vertebrae, or the bones of the spine, it often leads to a stooped or hunched posture. Osteoporosis can also be very costly, it is already responsible for 2 million broken bones and $19 billion in related costs every year. Osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because a person can’t feel their bones weakening. Breaking a bone is often the first sign of osteoporosis or a patient may notice that he or she is getting shorter or their upper back is curving forward. About 54 million Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass. 

https://www.nof.org/patients/what-is-osteoporosis/