Assessment of Operational Factors, Structural Properties and Disease Associations Influencing Bone Mineral Density Variation

Osteoporosis is the major metabolic bone disease seen worldwide and resulting fragility fractures are recognized as a major public health issue. According to the WHO working group estimations in 1994, nearly 30% of European women over 50 years have osteoporosis. In general, osteoporosis is commoner among Caucasians and Asians while women of Afro-Caribbean descent have a less likelihood to develop the disease. It is estimated that, 30 to 50% of women and 15 to 30% of men experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime.