It’s commonly thought of as a “woman’s disease,” and is often associated with postmenopausal women, but osteoporosis is also seen in men. In fact, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 20 percent of osteoporosis patients are men.  Men, however, are not often educated about their risk of getting osteoporosis and suffering the related bone fractures.

“Osteoporosis in men has received much less attention,” says Frank Passero, M.D., chief of the Section of Rheumatology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. “However, it is increasingly recognized as a problem in clinical medicine.”

Osteoporosis occurs when your bones become weak and brittle and therefore break easily. The hip, spine and wrist are the most common locations of osteoporosis-related fractures. These injuries are a major threat to an individual’s mobility and independence.

“Generally, men have larger, stronger bones than women, and they don’t experience the potentially bone-weakening hormonal changes that women do following menopause,” says Susan Hoch, M.D., chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “However, by age 65 to 70, men and women lose bone mass at the same rate. As men continue to age, their risk of developing osteoporosis increases substantially.”

Men and women share many of the same risk factors. The main cause of osteoporosis is aging. Getting too little calcium and Vitamin D and too little weight-bearing exercise will also increase the risk of osteoporosis. Additionally, smoking, heavy drinking, family history of osteoporosis and small bone structure can put men at high risk for the disease. The use of certain drugs — such as prednisone, seizure medications and prostate cancer medications — may speed up bone loss.

“One of the most important things a person can do to protect their bones is detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs,” says Martin Bergman, M.D., chief of the Section of Rheumatic Diseases at Taylor Hospital. “Since most physicians don’t screen men for osteoporosis, you should alert your doctor if you are at increased risk for developing the disease, or have experienced loss in height, change in posture, fracture or sudden back pain.”