A THIRD of women in their mid to late 50s have an increased risk of bone fracture, according to research at Trinity College, Dublin, and the Dublin Dental Hospital.
The proportion at risk increases with age, rising to 69 per cent of women aged 70 and over, according to a report in the Irish Medical Journal.
In the study of more than 1,700 women, 34 per cent of those aged 55 to 59 had an increased risk of fracturing one of the four lower vertebrae compared to 15 per cent of women aged 50 to 54.
The figures include women with a predisposition to fracturing because of such factors as family history of osteoporosis, dietary disorders or excess alcohol consumption.
When these factors are separated, the picture changes.
Forty two per cent of these women are at increased risk of bone fracture in the mid to late 50s. For women without a predisposition, the proportion is 26 per cent.
This difference seems to continue until they reach their 70s when it disappears and two thirds of women in both groups are at risk.
The authors recommend that measures to prevent fracture should be directed at women entering menopause and those who have gone through it.
While the study concentrated on women, the authors point out that the difference in the incidence of hip fractures between men and women in any one country is smaller than the difference in the incidence of hip fractures between people living in different countries.