Osteoporosis is the most common human bone disease.
It affects an enormous number of people, and its incidence will only increase as the population ages. This disease is a major public health threat for more than 28 million people in the United States, though 18 million of them do not even know it yet. While there is no cure, preventive measures early in life can prevent osteoporosis, or dramatically reduce its impact. The Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education 1 estimates that 90 percent of women older than 75 years of age have osteoporosis. That is nine of every 10 women in this age group.