Bone Health, Fragility and Fractures

Achieving and maintaining skeletal health throughout the life trajectory is essential for the prevention of bone diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis. Rickets and osteomalacia are usually a result of calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency, causing softening of bones and bone pain, and both conditions are treatable with calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Osteoporosis is a multifaceted disease mainly affecting older people, and its pathogenesis (and hence treatment) is more complex. Untreated osteoporosis results in fragility fractures causing morbidity and increased mortality.