A stooped posture, a dowager's hump, are not an inevitable part of old age, as previously believed. An estimated 400,000 South Carolinians have the disease. Fifty percent of white women develop osteoporosis at menopause. One in eight men also develop the disease. Bone scars are now possible for people at risk for osteoporosis, and since last year, scans are covered by Medicare when ordered by a physician.
New treatments are now available to stabilize the disease and repair some of the damage.
In 1997, the S.C. General Assembly enacted the Osteoporosis Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act and later established a fund to promote public awareness, prevention and treatment. Fourteen projects in 32 counties statewide received funding this year.