If my tests show osteoporosis in my hip, what is the likelihood that I have bone loss in other bones? Does osteoporosis ever affect the skull bone?
If your hip shows osteoporosis, it is likely that other bones have diminished bone density as well. If you are a White woman, your body singles out your hip—it loses one-third of its bone mineral density between the ages of about 30 and 80. However, other bones usually don’t start to lose density until the age of menopause, or in men at a comparable age, unless you have other medical or lifestyle reasons for having osteoporosis.
Approximately 4% of postmenopausal White women aged 50 to 59 have osteoporosis of the hip, and 6% of the same group have osteoporosis in the wrist. And after age 80 in postmenopausal women, osteoporosis of the hip jumps up to 52% and in the wrist to 78%!
So if you are a postmenopausal woman with osteoporosis of the hip, it is very likely that you have osteoporosis of other bones, particularly the wrist. Although you are definitely at risk for a vertebral fracture if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis of the hip, osteoporosis of the spine is more difficult to measure because certain conditions interfere with get-ting accurate measurements. Measuring your spine for osteoporosis will be more difficult if you have arthritis or fractures of the spine because they interfere with the accuracy of the imaging of the spine.
More important than having osteoporosis, you will be more at risk for fracturing any bone in your body. And this includes, although rarely, your skull bone. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, it is critical that you take all necessary precautions to prevent falls.