There is a one-in-two chance that a woman will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime, and there is a one-in-four chance that a man will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in his lifetime. Hip fractures are the most serious. Twenty-five percent of those over 50 who experience a hip fracture die in the first year following the incident, and 20 percent lose their independence at home and have to move into an assisted living facility. Vertebral (spinal) fractures are twice as common as hip fractures and can be quite debilitating because they are so painful.
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