75 million baby boomers are approaching the age where the disease is tightening its grip on their bones.
Osteoporosis also contributes to an estimated 1.5 million bone fractures in the United States annually. According to new information presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), new steps to manage bone health and increase communication, will significantly help reduce the rate of fractures and increase the quality of life for the aging population.
"Decreasing the rate of hip fractures saves lives, prevents loss of function, and decreases costs," said Tad Funahashi, MD, regional chief of orthopedic surgery and assistant area medical director for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, and clinical professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of California Irvine's College of Medicine. "If we screen for osteoporosis at the earliest onset of the disease," said Dr. Funahashi, "we can implement treatment and help to decrease the rate of hip fractures by 45 percent."
Osteoporosis is also a huge problem in other parts of the world. In another study, Leonid Kandel, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, looked at improving the diagnosis rate of osteoporosis in post menopausal women, who fracture the distal radius bone, which is located in the lower arm, near the wrist. Dr. Kandel says these fractures are often the first clinical symptom of osteoporosis, yet only 15 to 25 percent of these women are referred for a bone density test by a family physician after the fracture.
"It is important that patients understand the connection between their current problem, the fracture, and the possibility that the underlying cause is osteoporosis." Dr. Kandel also suggests that there should be a stronger connection and better communication between the hospital and the community. He feels this will increase the number of patients who are diagnosed and treated for the disease.