Men also at risk of osteoporosis

Startling new figures show that osteoporosis, once thought of as a woman’s disease, is now showing up in many more men.

For 70s pop idol Mark Holden, osteoporosis was the last diagnosis he expected after suffering a series of rib fractures five years ago.”Its pretty depressing to be honest, to be told that at 45 you have the bones of an old man,” he said.The singer had no family history of the disease, and never suspected he had low bone density.But the condition is becoming increasingly common in men.New figures show one in five Australian men over 50 will suffer fractures due to osteoporosis. That jumps to one in three for men over 60.”This is not a gender discriminating disease, it affects both sexes,” Professor Ego Seeman, from the Austin Hospital, said.Smoking, excessive alcohol and a low intake of dairy products can increase a patient’s risk of osteoporosis.Andrew Wishart, who was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis at 39, says doctors need to screen more men for brittle bones.”If men don’t get their fracture investigated properly… they could end up osteoporosis,” he said. Doctors say there are now several good drugs that can reduce the risk of fractures and in some cases rebuild damaged bones.But currently the Federal Government only subsidises bone density scans for patients who have already had a fracture.Osteoporosis groups want to see that extended to all patients at high risk for the disease.(Source: ABC Health News, Oct 2004)