OSTEOPOROSIS
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced, leading to weakness of the skeleton and increased risk of fracture, particularly of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis and upper arm. Osteoporosis and associated fractures are an important cause of mortality and morbidity.
In many affected people, bone loss is gradual and without symptoms or warning signs until the disease is advanced. Osteoporosis is a global problem which is increasing in significance as the population of the world both grows and ages. For these reasons, osteoporosis is often referred to as the "silent epidemic".
There are many misconceptions about osteoporosis, for example that it is "an old woman's disease". In fact, bone loss in women can begin as early as age 25. Worldwide, the lifetime risk for a woman to have an osteoporotic fracture is 30-40%. In men the risk is about 13%.
Osteoporosis is a widespread public health problem. The costs to national healthcare systems from osteoporosis-related hospitalization are staggering. For example, in several European countries, osteoporosis is responsible for more hospital days for women over 45 than any other disease. In the next 50 years, the number of hip fractures for both men and women will more than double. See fact sheet
Even so, osteoporosis was not precisely defined as a disease until 1994. The World Health Organization (WHO) has since identified osteoporosis as a priority health issue along with other major non-communicable diseases.
Diagnosis and Treatment Rapid progress is being made in diagnosis, treatment evaluation and prognosis of osteoporosis. Early detection of bone loss is key to the prevention of suffering and escalation of health care costs. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements are effective in assessing fracture risk, confirming a diagnosis of osteoporosis and monitoring the effect of treatment. A major concern is that access to measuring equipment and qualified technical personnel – and reimbursement by medical insurance schemes – remain inadequate in a great many countries.
Effective medications are available for prevention and treatment of the disease and more are being developed. However, all too often health insurance companies do not reimburse the cost of medicines for osteoporosis. In addition, non-medical therapy, such as a healthy diet and exercise, has been shown to have a beneficial effect on bone.
The pivotal role of national osteoporosis societies and support groups cannot be overstated. These offer many invaluable services, from awareness education about the disease to support and advice for sufferers through group sessions and telephone help lines. For this reason, a priority of IOF is to encourage and assist its membership everywhere in developing strong and effective societies.
The disease is a reality. Because of the cost to the public health care system, it costs the taxpayer money whether the person has the disease or not. And frighteningly, as more people get osteoporosis, more people will be unable to work and require medical care. This means an increased burden on our public welfare and hospital systems. And yet many governments and health care officials continue to consider osteoporosis a low priority and, alarmingly, sometimes osteoporosis detection and treatments are not reimbursed by medical insurance plans.