Learn How Osteoporosis Can Affect Children

Format: Fact Sheet
Institute: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak or brittle bones, is rare in children and adolescents. But when it does occur, juvenile osteoporosis can be a significant problem because it occurs during the child’s prime bone-building years.


NIAMS has recently created a fact sheet on juvenile osteoporosis. This sheet explains the types and causes of as well as the prognosis and treatment of this disease. It also addresses how to distinguish juvenile osteoporosis from osteogenesis imperfecta—a rare genetic disorder that, like juvenile osteoporosis, is characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause.

Next Steps
You can view this fact sheet online or download a PDF file by visiting http://www.niams.nih.gov/bone/hi/osteoporosis_juv.htm.
For more information on osteoporosis, contact the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center at 1-800-624-2663 or NIAMSBoneInfo@mail.nih.gov.