Risk of brittle bones much higher in victims' siblings

The crippling bone disease osteoporosis is six times more likely to affect the siblings of sufferers, researchers have found. Men as well as women are at high risk of having low bone density, which causes the disease, if there is a family history of the condition.

The crippling bone disease osteoporosis is six times more likely to affect the siblings of sufferers, researchers have found. Men as well as women are at high risk of having low bone density, which causes the disease, if there is a family history of the condition.

One in three women and one in 12 men in Britain suffer at some point from osteoporosis, also known as brittle bone disease because of the risk of repeated, painful fractures. It is most commonly associated with older women past the menopause.

But scientists at Oxford's John Radcliffe Infirmary and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre said yesterday that men in families where there were sufferers were also at high risk. Dr Emma Duncan, the lead researcher, said the work had important implications for detecting the condition among vulnerable patients. "This is the first time the sibling connection has been calculated and has important implications for the screening of relatives," said Dr Duncan.

The Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1998, said: "My case illustrates that although osteoporosis is widely considered a female condition, it is a growing problem among men."

In the study, funded by the charity Action Research, scientists screened DNA samples from men and women in several generations of 170 families in Oxfordshire with a history of the disease. They pinpointed eight specific genes linked to bone density and believed responsible for the disease. Most previous studies have concentrated solely on women. An estimated three million people in Britain suffer from osteoporosis, which causes painless but progressive bone degeneration and easily broken bones.

The most common fractures are in the hip, spine and wrist. Each year, doctors treat 70,000 hip fractures, 50,000 wrist fractures and 40,000 spine fractures caused by the disease. In America, doctors say it causes 250,000 wrist fractures alone every year. The National Osteoporosis Society estimates the condition costs the NHS and government more than £1.5bn a year, and rates of the condition are expected to increase.

As well as genetic factors, the disease is believed to be linked to early menopause, hysterectomy, over-exercising and over-dieting in women. In men and women, it has been associated with heavy drinking, smoking and low body weight.