Risk Factors

What is the risk for osteoporosis in men?

Over 2 million American men have osteoporosis, and another 3 million are at risk for this disease.  Men with this disease are at risk of significant loss of independence or death due to fractures.  At present, 1 out of 5 men develops osteoporosis and 1 out of 4 men suffers an osteoporosis-related fracture during his lifetime. Men suffer about 1/3 of all the hip fractures that occur and over 30% of these men will not survive more than 1 year after a hip fracture.

What are the major risk factors for osteoporosis in men?

The most common risk factors for osteoporosis in men include the following:

Risk Assessment For Men PDF small print
Risk Assessment For Men PDF large print

• Current age - risk significantly increases every year after the age of 70.
  
  
• Personal history of broken bones over the age of 40 including prior hip or spine fracture
  
  
• Height loss of more than 1.5 inches of height
  
  
• Family history of osteoporosis and fracture - includes parents or siblings with known osteoporosis, broken hip, wrist or spine occurring without major trauma, a height loss of more than 2 inches or a stooped back
  
  
• Low body weight
  
  
• Smoking - current smoking or history of smoking one or more cigarettes per day within the past three years
  
  
• Medical History that includes any of the following medical conditions or use of any of the following medications:
  • Use of steroid medications (such as prednisone or cortisone) for more than 3 months
  • Low Testosterone level (occurring either naturally with age, as a result of medical conditions, or as a result of the use of certain medications such as lupron or zoladex)
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Anticonvulsant medications such as Dilantin (phenytoin), Depakote and some other medications used to treat seizure disorder or depression
  • Cancer or chemotherapy
  • Chronic use of blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin
  • Chronic lung disease
  • Cushing's syndrome
  • Diabetes - Youth Onset Only (requiring insulin)
  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Hyperthyroidism or the use of thyroid medication taken in high dosages or lack of routine blood tests for TSH-level monitoring
  • History of immobility (such as current or previous bed rest for more than 6 months)
  • Intestinal disorders including Celiac disease, chronic liver disease, Crohn's disease, gastrectomy (removal of the stomach) and ulcerative colitis
  • Kidney disorders
  • Lupus
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Transplant surgery and/or the use of immunosuppressant medication (methotrexate, cyclosporin and others)
  • Stroke
    
    
• Sedentary lifestyle with low level of exercise
  
  
• Low lifetime calcium and/or Vitamin D intakes

If you are a man and have one or more of these risk factors, it does not mean that you have osteoporosis. The only way to diagnose osteoporosis is by having a bone mineral density (BMD) test.