Make no bones about it

CAMILLA FOSTER looks at five silent risk factors for developing osteoporosis

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THE Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) has launched a simple online assessment to help people identify their risk of osteoporosis.

The Great British Bone Check campaign has been backed by the Queen, who is a longstanding supporter of the ROS charity, which hopes the easy three-minute digital tool will help people get diagnosed and treated quicker.

The initiative follows a YouGov survey, conducted for the ROS, of 2,082 adults which found that 79% had never checked their bone health and 49% were unaware that women face a higher risk of fractures after menopause.

Here, Julia Thomson, nurse manager at the ROS, highlights five silent risk factors of osteoporosis and explains how the disease is diagnosed.

What is osteoporosis?

"Osteoporosis is a condition which makes bones more fragile and more likely to break," explains Julia. The NHS website states that it develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or impact causes a bone to break. Approximately 3.5 million people in the UK are estimated to have osteoporosis, according to the ROS.