ABSTRACT
Bone strength is a combination of both bone mineral density (BMD) and the microarchitecture of bone. A decrease in BMD and/or a change in the microarchitecture can lead to osteoporotic fragility fractures. Hip fractures have an associated excess mortality rate of 8.4% to 36% at 1 year, and the mortality rate is higher in men than in women. In addition, the occurrence of a hip fracture increases the risk of a future fracture by 2.5 times. The presence of a single vertebral body compression fracture increases the risk of subsequent vertebral fractures fivefold and nonspine fragility fractures twofold to threefold.1
