2000 Department of Surgery Newsletter University of Toronto Vol. The answer is D .
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is responsible for a large number of fractures in elderly women.
Though laboratory studies are normal in osteoporosis, the total amount of bone is decreased, which leads to osteopenia and weaker bones. Vertebral compression fractures are often sustained even without trauma. A minor fall on the outstretched hand can lead to a Colles' fracture. Either a femoral neck fracture or an intertrochanteric fracture can follow a fall on the hip. Clavicular fractures are common in children and young adults after violent falls onto an outstretched hand.