When you think about staying healthy, you probably think about making lifestyle changes to prevent conditions like cancer and heart disease. Keeping your bones healthy to prevent osteoporosis may not be at the top of your wellness list. But it should be. Here’s why:

Osteoporosis Is Common

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become weak and can break more easily. In serious cases, something as simple as a sneeze can cause a bone to break. About 10 million Americans already have the disease. About 34 million are at risk. Being at risk for osteoporosis means you are more likely to get this disease. Estimates suggest that about half of all women older than 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. Up to one in four men will too.

Osteoporosis Is Serious

Breaking a bone is serious, especially when you’re older. Broken bones due to osteoporosis are most likely to occur in the hip, spine and wrist, but other bones can break too. Broken bones can cause severe pain that may not go away. Some people lose height and become shorter. It can also affect your posture, causing you to become stooped or hunched. This happens when the bones of the spine, called vertebrae, begin to break or collapse.

Osteoporosis may even keep you from getting around easily and doing the things you enjoy. This can make you feel isolated and depressed. It can also lead to other health problems. Twenty percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year from problems related to the broken bone itself or surgery to repair it. Many of those who survive need long-term nursing home care.

Osteoporosis Is Costly

In 2005, osteoporosis was responsible for an estimated two million fractures and $19 billion in costs. By 2025, experts predict that osteoporosis will be responsible for approximately three million fractures and $25.3 billion in costs each year.

Osteoporosis Can Sneak up on You

You can’t feel your bones becoming weaker. You could have osteoporosis now or be at risk for it without realizing it. Often, breaking a bone is the first clue that you have osteoporosis. Or, maybe you notice that you are getting shorter or your upper back is curving forward. At this point the disease may be advanced. Fortunately, a bone mineral density test can tell if you have osteoporosis before you have these symptoms. This makes it possible to treat the disease early to prevent broken bones.