Orthopaedic experts have warned that China should improve its prevention of orthopaedic illnesses as its population ages.

Osteoporosis, bone fractures and joint diseases, to which elderly people are particularly susceptible, have surged as serious health concerns, said Feng Huicheng, surgeon-in-chief of a leading Chinese orthopaedics hospital, at the Sixth International Congress of the Chinese Orthopaedic Association (COA) Sunday in Beijing.

According to China's latest census in 2010, the number of people aged 60 and over stood at 177.65 million and accounted for more than 13 percent of the country's total 1.3 billion population.

"Orthopaedic diseases pose a great threat to the elderly, and they'll only grow more serious as we have a large population that is aging," said Dr. Feng from the No. 309 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.

"The younger generation should start to be concerned with their health now, particularly calcium loss, to prevent osteoporosis when getting old.".

A report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation this year shows that about 70 million people in China now suffer from the condition and that number may leap to 286 million by 2020.

H.K.T.Raza, president of the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association, said at the conference that the prevention of osteoporosis should begin when people are still young.

"Osteoporosis is best prevented by regular exercises and good dietary controls. All that has to be done early in life, maybe between 20 and 30, to prevent the disease," he said.

According to the World Health Organization, osteoporosis remains one of the primary threats to the health of the middle-aged and elderly.

Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. Parts of the bone grow weak and prone to fracture. Women are usually subject to greater risk of osteoporosis than men as they start with lower bone density and lose bone mass faster as they age.

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