News
New report calls for global efforts to prevent fragility fractures due to osteoporosis
The International Osteoporosis Founda-
tion (IOF) recently released a new report, revealing approximately 80 percent of pa- tients treated in clinics or hospitals follow- ing a fracture are not screened for osteopo- rosis or risk of future falls. Left untreated, these patients are at high risk of suffering secondary fractures and facing a future of pain, disfigurement, long-term disability and even early death. The report ‘Capture the Fracture – A
global campaign to break the fragility frac- ture cycle’ calls for concerted worldwide efforts to stop secondary fractures due to osteoporosis by implementing proven mod- els of care. Prof. Bess Dawson-Hughes, Professor
of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and General Secretary of IOF, warned, “Half of all individuals who go on to suffer a hip fracture have already come to clinical attention because of a prior fra- gility fracture. It is obvious that health professionals are missing a clear warning signal. All too often the broken bone is sim- ply ‘repaired’ and the patient is sent home without proper diagnosis and management of the underlying cause of the fracture.” She added, “This care gap results in
countless avoidable fragility fractures at a cost of many billions of dollars worldwide. With the launch of the IOF Capture the Fracture campaign and this report, we are urging health care professionals and health authorities to implement proven cost-effec- tive measures that will ensure that these high-risk individuals receive the necessary assessment and care to prevent further frac- tures. IOF’s report was issued at a joint media
event with the National Osteoporosis Foun- dation (NOF) and Osteoporosis Canada in anticipation of World Osteoporosis Day, observed annually on October 20. World Osteoporosis Day, led by IOF with partici- pation in more than 90 countries, launches a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diag- nosis and treatment of osteoporosis and re- lated musculoskeletal diseases. Representatives from IOF, NOF, Na-
tional Bone Health Alliance (NBHA), Os- teoporosis Canada and a patient will be
4 | SpinalSurgeryNews | Autumn 2012
present to speak about IOF’s report find- ings and the importance of raising global awareness of osteoporosis as part of World Osteoporosis Day and subsequent year-long campaign. “Today’s press conference has three ma-
jor bone groups coming together around the urgency of fracture prevention. We have the evidence, we know what systems work and we know it is cost-effective to implement coordinated models of care for secondary fracture prevention – now is the time to do it,” said Judy Stenmark, CEO, IOF. Osteoporosis sufferer and speaker at
the event, Jeannie Joas, was diagnosed two years ago and has had one wrist fracture as a result. An avid exerciser and healthy eater, Jeannie is one of the many men and women surprised by their diagnosis. “Two years ago when my bone density
test showed significant bone loss since the last test, the doctor thought it was a mistake and ordered it be repeated, only to learn it was true,” Joas said. “I’m active, fit, exer- cise regularly and have always taken care of my health, including being a ‘milkoholic’ throughout my life. How could I be told I have osteoporosis?” Around the world up to 1 in 2 women
and 1 in 5 men over 50 years of age will suffer a fragility fracture. Fractures are a tremendous burden on older people and healthcare budgets, with costs exceeding that of many other age-related diseases, in- cluding stroke, MS and Parkinson’s disease. Vertebral and hip fractures in particu-
lar can result in substantial pain and suf- fering, disability and loss of quality of life. Around 20 percent of hip fracture sufferers die in the year following the fracture while 33 percent of seniors who suffer a hip frac- ture become physically impaired and lose their ability to live independently. One study showed that during year 2000,
there were an estimated 9 million new fra- gility fractures worldwide, of which 1.6 million were at the hip, 1.7 million at the wrist, 0.7 million at the humerus and 1.4 million symptomatic vertebral fractures. In 2002, all osteoporotic fractures in the Unit- ed States alone cost $20 billion per year. As outlined in the ‘Capture the Fracture’ report, a systematic literature review found
the majority of successful systems for sec- ondary fracture prevention throughout the world have employed a dedicated coordi- nator. The coordinator acts as the link be- tween the orthopaedic team, the osteopo- rosis and falls services, the patient and the primary care physician. Giving examples of successful and cost-effective service mod- els from many countries, the report outlines the solid evidence in favor of these systems of care. All over the world health authorities
and patient organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of secondary fracture prevention. In the U.S., NBHA launched 2Million2Many, a national cam- paign that aims to break the fracture cycle by calling on the public and healthcare pro- fessionals to request an osteoporosis
test
when someone 50 years or older breaks a bone. As part of this initiative, NBHA cre- ated a visual representation of the 5,500 bone breaks that occur every day called Cast Mountain. “In the U.S., we know there are two mil-
lion bone breaks that occur each year due to osteoporosis. The sad reality is only two in 10 patients with initial bone breaks get a follow-up test or treatment for osteopo- rosis,” said Professor Robert Lindsay, chief of Internal Medicine, Helen Hayes Hospi- tal, Columbia University and chair, NBHA 2Million2Many Project Team. “The num- ber of annual fractures is expected to swell to around three million and cost the health- care system $25 billion per year by 2025, hence NBHA’s ‘20/20’ vision to reduce the incidence of bone breaks by 20 percent by 2020.”
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