JEDDAH: The first conference on osteoporosis, which concluded Thursday in Jeddah, called for the public to consult the Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research, a division of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, for free checkups for all age groups, with special attention to people above 45 years.

Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.

The conference is part of the Prince Sultan National Osteoporosis Awareness Campaign, which will last for four years and will be completed in cooperation with the media as well as public and private hospitals and clinics, with a special focus on rural areas.

Specialists highlighted the need for more awareness among the public to increase the consumption of calcium and getting exposed to the sun, since both a lack of calcium and vitamin D are highly linked to osteoporosis.

A sum of SR100 million have been allocated to this campaign in the hope that more individuals will head to hospitals at early stages, when the illness can still be cured. The campaign will organize three more conferences in the coming years, in which it will cooperate with different American, European and Arab universities. These conferences will also follow up on the implementation of previous recommendations.

According to researches conducted at the Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research, there will be 900,000 cases of osteoporosis in the Kingdom by 2030.

Head of the center Mohammad Al-Aradawi said that treating these cases would cost SR30 billion.

The campaign depends on donations from the private sector and hopes to highlight the threat of this disease.

Thirty-two percent of men above 50 are at risk for this disease, while this percentage can go as high as 44.5 among women, said Osama Taib, rector of King Abdulaziz University.

"We cannot but combat this illness by all means and through awareness campaigns that target all layers of the society," he added.