A panel of medical experts, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) gathered today on Capitol Hill to examine the barriers that currently exist to proper prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, a disease that affects up to 44 million Americans.
The event, "Breaking the Barriers to Better Health: Physician and Patient Communication about Osteoporosis," revealed that patients are not learning about prevention, are not being adequately diagnosed and, if diagnosed, are not staying with their treatment.
"Care for osteoporosis is sub-optimal," stated Dr. Daniel Solomon of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "In general, the disease is poorly recognized, under treated and there is extremely low compliance."
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bone to become thin, weak and brittle. Unlike many diseases and chronic conditions, we have the advantage of knowing how to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
"Thanks to years of dedicated medical research, we know a great deal more about osteoporosis than we used to," stated Congressman Sue Myrick (R-NC). "We've learned that lifestyle choices can successfully prevent the disease, and treatments are available. Millions of Americans - like me - are benefiting from these advances."
Unfortunately, osteoporosis and low bone mass (osteopenia) still pose a major public health threat. An estimated 52 million women and men age fifty plus are expected to be affected by these conditions by 2010 and 61 million are expected to be affected by 2020.