Osteoporosis is a systematic skeletal disease with loss of bone mineral leading to more fracture risk. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become brittle due to a loss of bone mass (or bone density) and a change in bone structure that may lead to weak and fragile bones. Although men can also suffer from osteoporosis, the vast majority of individuals affected by osteoporosis are women. Abnormal loss of bony tissue results in fragile porous bones, which is most common in postmenopausal women. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone micro architecture is disrupted, and various non-collagenous proteins in bone are altered. Osteoporosis is often associated with inadequate calcium intake. However, a deficiency of vitamin D also contributes to osteoporosis by reducing calcium absorption.

Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative CT analysis and ultrasonography detects diminished bone density at a much earlier stage of development. DXA is the most cmmonly used procedure for early detection of osteoporosis and is used to measure the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, the hip, the distal forearm, calcaneus and the whole body.CT allows selective measurements of the trabecular bone without cortical bone.