Osteopenia groups

Osteopenia

If you have low bone mass that is not low enough to be diagnosed as osteoporosis, this is sometimes referred to as osteopenia. Low bone mass could be caused by many factors such as:

• heredity
• the development of less-than-optimal peak bone mass in your youth
• a medical condition or medication to treat such a condition that negatively affects bone
• abnormally accelerated bone loss.

While not everyone who has low bone mass will develop osteoporosis, everyone with low bone mass is at higher risk for the disease and the resulting fractures.

Sources
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases