Riverside, California (NAPS) - Osteoporosis "bone loss" is a serious condition that half of all women and many men can expect to develop at some time in their lives. Fortunately, it can be detected and treated. In fact, women who have a bone density scan have 35 percent fewer hip fractures than those who do not.

The problem is only 23 percent of eligible patients are scanned. The experts at the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) say that if you’re a woman over 65 or a man over 70 or if you’re over 50, postmenopausal and have risk factors for osteoporosis, you should probably talk to your doctor or other health care provider about getting a bone density test, especially if you’ve never had one. Many doctors are learning more about this testing device at www.hologic.com.