Camilla urges older people to check their risk of developing osteoporosis
The Queen Consort said the illness caused the deaths of her mother and grandmother during a time it was “rarely diagnosed” and “seldom discussed”.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Queen Consort has warned of the dangers of osteoporosis as she urged older people to check their risk of developing the “devastating” bone disease.
Camilla said the illness caused the deaths of her mother and grandmother during a time it was “rarely diagnosed” and “seldom discussed”.
She made her appeal as the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), which she founded in 2019, launched an online questionnaire to show participants how likely they are to develop the condition.
Thankfully, we know far more about the causes, symptoms and available treatments
Osteoporosis weakens bones and causes them to break more easily, affecting around 3.5 million people in the UK.
As many people die of fracture-related causes every year as diabetes and lung cancer, yet two-thirds of adults surveyed by the ROS admitted never considering their bone health.
In a statement Camilla said: “Both my grandmother and my mother died as a result of osteoporosis.
“At the time, the disease was seldom discussed, rarely diagnosed and was usually acknowledged as an unavoidable part of growing older.
“Now, thankfully, we know far more about the causes, symptoms and available treatments.”
Pointing to the ROS’s questionnaire, she encouraged older people to “discover the easy steps that we can all take to improve bone health throughout our lives”.
Osteoporosis will affect every other mother; every other grandmother. And too many of us still think men are unaffected
The online tool – which asks for a person’s age, ethnicity and family health among other factors – calculates osteoporosis risk and provides tips on keeping bones “stronger for longer”.
Poor bone health means that half of all women over the age of 50, along with one in five men, are expected to suffer a fracture.
ROS chief executive Craig Jones said: “Osteoporosis will affect every other mother; every other grandmother. And too many of us still think men are unaffected.
“The truth is we all have bones and, if we arm ourselves with knowledge, we can keep them stronger for longer.
“It all starts with people understanding their bone health risk and taking action.”