Risk factors
Various diseases and lifestyle habits, such as smoking, alcohol or poor diet, can lead to increased bone loss and osteoporosis at an earlier age. Osteoporosis risk factors include:
- Suffering a bone fracture after the age of 50.
- Advanced age (over 65 years).
- Early menopause, spontaneous or surgical (before the age of 45).
- Hypogonadism in men.
- Low calcium.
- Tobacco and alcohol consumption.
- Maternal history of femoral fracture.
- Low weight (body mass index under 20).
- Prolonged physical inactivity.
- Drugs that increase the risk of osteoporosis: corticoids, anti-epileptics, some cancer treatment drugs, etc....
- Disorders that cause low bone density (osteopenia): rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthropathies, hyperthyroidism, transplants, Cushing's syndrome, liver diseases and inflammatory bowel disease, hyperparathyroidism, chronic inflammatory diseases and anorexia nervosa, among others.