Osteoporosis is now recognised as a major public health problem, involving enormous costs to the individual, to the NHS (£2.3 billion a year) and to society. One in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture, mainly due to osteoporosis. The fragility of the bones can cause pain, disability and death and results in more than 230,000 fractures every year, including 70,000 hip fractures. Hip fractures are potentially life threatening: 13,800 people die every year in the UK following a hip fracture. Spinal fractures may lead to back pain, loss of height and mobility and eventually curvature of the spine. A comprehensive programme of diagnosis and prevention is urgently required to tackle this 'silent epidemic' and Osteoporosis Screening Services (OSS) has been developed to play this critical role.

OSS has been providing ultrasound screening in selected clinics in England and Wales since 1995. This enables both women and men of all ages to take the opportunity to discover their bone status. The screening is quick, accurate, inexpensive, non-invasive and painless.