Osteoporosis is a disorder characterized by the scarcity of bone in the axial as well as in the peripheral skeleton. This results in bones that are structurally weak and, thus, predisposes the patient to fracture from little or no trauma. Falling from a standing level or lifting a stuck window may create sufficient stress on the weakened bone to cause a fracture or collapse. Osteoporosis affects approximately 20% of white women who are 65 years old or older and has come to be widely recognized as a leading infirmity of aging. However, osteoporosis can afflict the young as well as the old. Juvenile osteoporosis, with onset at puberty and a course that is generally self-limited, is a well-established albeit rare condition in pediatrics. Idiopathic osteoporosis can also arise in young adults, as has been described previously in an article by Perry et al published in the Archives (1982;142:1295-1298).
Osteoporosis has