• Identify women who are susceptible to fracture
• Allow your doctor to have a clinical suspicion that you may have osteoporosis
• Develop an osteoporosis prevention programme for you

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There are several factors associated with osteoporosis which are environmental and which can be altered. Risk factors for fracture as a result of osteoporosis (osteoporotic fracture) can be broadly divided into two groups:

• Those that increase risk by increasing the chance of developing low bone mass
• Those that increase risk independently of low bone mass, for example, through increasing the risk of falling or by altering bone strength by mechanisms other than alterations in bone mass

The following risk factors fall under the first group:

• Age
• Caucasian or Asian origin
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking of cigarettes
• Excessive ingestion of coffee
• Low body weight
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Excessive alcohol intake,/li>
• Prolonged calcium-deficient diet
• Never having had children
• Long-term use of certain medications, for example, corticosteroids, phenytoin, excessive thyroxine
• Oestrogen-deficient states

The importance of a low bone density lies in the fact that the risk of suffering a fracture is directly proportional to the degree of osteopaenia or osteoporosis. Osteopaenia means a deficiency of bone density and osteoporosis is the advanced form of bone loss, which indicates a significant risk for suffering fractures. There are, however, also other factors besides the bone mass, which further influence the risk of having a fracture. The most important of these is having suffered a minimal trauma fracture after the age of 40.

The presence of any of the following factors should be considered to indicate an increased risk of hip fracture:

• Maternal history of hip fracture
• Greater height
• Increased likelihood of falling

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