Gurgaon, Oct 19 (IANS): Over 500 cyclists, including students, Sunday took part in a cyclothon here to raise awareness about osteoporosis, a disease characterised by a decrease in bone mass.

Former Indian Women's Hockey Captain Mamta Kharab flagged off the cyclothon and urged people to understand the importance of healthy bones and regularly visit orthopaedics.

According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the number of patients in India in 2003 was approximately 26 million, and the numbers were projected to increase to 36 million by 2013.

A day-long orthopaedic check-up camp was also organised by Paras Hospital, the organisers of the cyclothon.

"Bone health is of vital importance but in a country like India that struggles with major health ailments like cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, tuberculosis and cholera, the issue of osteoporosis often fails to grab public attention," said Vivek Logani, chief of joint replacement surgery at Paras Hospital.

He said that a majority of our elderly people have osteoporosis because they did nothing to strengthen their bones when they were young.

"Osteoporosis is also responsible for a number of cases of vertebral compression fractures in the spine among the elderly," he said.