GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Kate Erickson is a physician assistant with Tria Orthopedics. She says osteoporosis is often thought of as just a disease in women, but it can affect men too.
“We often think of it as a silent disease because most people don't know they have it until they do break a bone,” Erickson says.
Erickson says about 80,000 men will fracture a bone because of osteoporosis every year in the U.S.
It's recommended that men start getting screened for it once they hit 70 years old.
“I don't think most men know that it’s something they should be screened for, just like you would be screened for colon cancer or other diseases,” Erickson says.
She says keeping your bones healthy as you age is key and that you want to make sure you're getting adequate calcium and vitamin D. She recommends 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium every day.
Getting exercise is key, too.
“Preventing falls, because most fractures happen because of falls and so we want to make sure we continue to work on our balance as we age as well,” she says.