Risk Factor

All of us are at risk from osteoporosis as we get older, but there are some people who are more
at risk that others. These are some of the factors which can make a difference:

1.	Oestrogen deficiency	Woman who have had an early menopause (before the age of 45),of a hysterectomy (removal of the womb) where one or both ovaries have been areat risk
2.	Lack of exercise	Exercise keeps the bones strong - both as they are developing and throughout adulthood. So, anyone who does not exercise, or has an illness which makes it difficult for them to move about, will be more likely to develop osteoporosi
3.	Poor diet	A diet that does not include enough calcium can encourage osteoporosis (see next action)
4.	Heavy smoking	Tobacco lowers estrogen levels in women
5.	Heavy drinking (alcohol)	A high alcohol intake reduces the ability of the body's cells to make bone
6.	Steroids (prednisolone)	If someone takes prednisolone over a long period of time, thay can become osteoporotic
7.	Family history	Osteoporosis can run in families. This is probarly because there is an inherited factor that affects the development of bones
8.	Previous fractures	People who have had a low trauma fracture are at greater risk of having another fracture