Get tips from doctors on how to manage the major loss of bone mass at an osteoporosis seminar to be held on Sunday.

The seminar, organised by The Straits Times Mind & Body section and HL Marigold Milk, will be held at the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) auditorium.

Osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because there are no signs. It raises the risk of fractures and affects mainly older women above the age of 50. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation in the US, about one in two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

At the seminar, Dr Victor Seah, a specialist in orthopaedic surgery and consultant at Raffles Orthopaedic Centre, will share tips on how bone loss and fractures can be prevented.

Dr Nur Farhan Abbas, a specialist in geriatric medicine and consultant at Raffles Internal Medicine Centre, will highlight how to identify the risk factors of osteoporosis and how the disease is diagnosed and treated.

While women are the main sufferers of osteoporosis, it affects men as well. Dr Manju Chandran, a senior consultant endocrinologist and director of the osteoporosis and bone metabolism unit at the Singapore General Hospital, said approximately 30 per cent of all hip fractures and 20 per cent of vertebral fractures worldwide occur in men. Fractures are common in the hip, wrist, and spine.

The treatment of osteoporosis in men, however, differs from that for women.

She will discuss the common causes of osteoporosis in men and its prevention and treatment.

Seminar participants will receive a Marigold goodie bag and two 1-litre packs of HL milk as well as afternoon refreshments. They can also get a free bone density check.