More than 39 percent of Saudi women over fifty suffer from osteoporosis compared to 37.8 percent men of the same age group, local media said quoting an expert of spine surgery.

Dr. Walid Awwad, Consultant of Spine Surgery at King Khalid University Hospital, said the majority of those prone to osteoporosis were not subjected to proper tests, nor treated with the best heath care.

In a related development, the Health Directorate in Riyadh Region and the Osteoporosis Program at the Ministry of Health has jointly organized an awareness forum on osteoporosis to discuss ways women can protect themselves from the debilitating disease and how to deal with it.

Organizers of the forum, held in Wadi District Medical Center and specifically targeted at women, said the event comes to coincide with World Osteoporosis day which falls on Oct. 20 and is aimed to enlighten people on the early detection of the disease to minimize its complications.

Experts say losses incurred by the government as a result of treatment costs for osteoporosis is estimated at more than SR20 billion, and is poised to climb to SR32 billion by 2030.