Caption

Osteoporosis. Artwork of lightning striking a femur (thigh bone) representing the damage caused by osteoporosis (brittle bone disease). The lightning is blasting bone off the round femur head making the bone less dense, more brittle and more likely to fracture. These are all symptoms of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is most common in women after the menopause as their ovaries no longer produce the oestrogen hormones which help to maintain bone mass. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps to maintain oestrogen levels and hence bone mass.