You can’t stop time - but you can stop osteoporosis 

Over 200 million people worldwide are affected by osteoporosis.  One bone gets fractured every 3 seconds ¹ – that’s a lot of broken bones.  “In fact it equates to almost 9 million fractures a year¹,” explains Dr Aneesa Sheik, Medical Director of Lilly South Africa and an official partner of World Osteoporosis Day which took place on 20 October.  

It may sound like a disease that the elderly are more prone to relate to, but approximately 50% of bone mass accumulates during adolescence² – making it a critical time for bone building!  Osteoporosis is a growing global problem that respects no boundaries and impacts all populations.  It accounts for more days in hospital than other disease like breast cancer, myocardial infarction, diabetes and others³.  Quite simply – it can take a heavy toll on your future if left undiagnosed and untreated.  

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become thinner and more fragile, making them more likely to break (fracture).  A person with osteoporosis may suffer a broken bone after only a minor bump, a sneeze, or a fall from standing height.  Around the world, about one in three women and one in five men aged 50 and over will break a bone due to this disease⁴.  Urbanisation and ageing populations are driving rapid increases in the global osteoporosis disease burden⁴.

Because it affects older people, the younger generation tend not to give it much thought.  “But in fact it’s young people who can protect a future of brittle bones and change the picture of thinking that hip replacements and brittle bones are an unavoidable threat when they get older,” says Dr Sheik. “By reaching their maximum genetic potential for strong bones, a young person will be less susceptible to osteoporosis and fractures in later life.  It’s worth giving your bones some love while you have the chance, because the result of potentially life threatening fractures is often pain, immobility, disability and loss of quality of life later on,” says Dr Sheik.

But it’s not about the old and the young; there is a need for people of all ages to take preventative action.  It is an eye-opener to note that 80% of people who have had at least one osteoporotic fracture are neither identified nor treated for osteoporosis.  And only one third of vertebral fractures come to clinical attention.⁵

In men, the risk of fracture is up to 27% higher than the risk of prostate cancer⁶.  By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fracture in men is projected to increase by 310% and by 240% in women⁷.  Most fragility fracture patients aren’t assessed or treated by their health-care system, resulting in a failure to ‘Capture the Fracture’ and reduce risk of subsequent fractures.  “A prior fracture is associated with an 86% increased risk of any fracture⁸,” says Dr Sheik.  “This is one of the reasons it has become a major public health concern.  Osteoporosis is an underlying cause of chronic pain, long-term disability and even premature death.”

Hip fractures cause the greatest morbidity with reported mortality rates up to

20-24% in the first year after a hip fracture. This kind of fracture can cause loss of function and independence with: 40% unable to walk independently; 60% requiring assistance a year later; 33% being totally dependent on or in a nursing home in the year following a hip fracture.⁹

Preventative action ranges from nutrition to testing:

• Taking a bone health assessment should be considered for women aged 50 and over, men aged 70 and over, or for anyone younger with osteoporosis risk factors.
• A Fracture Risk Assessment (e.g. FRAX) is an important first step in identifying patients who need further assessment and possibly treatment. 
• Bone-healthy nutrition together with weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercise are both important ways to help prevent osteoporosis and reduce risk of falls and fractures. 
• There is also the IOF One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test, which recognises personal risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures.  If you have risk factors talk to your doctor about your bone health.

https://www.iofbonehealth.org/iof-one-minute-osteoporosis-risk-test. 

For patients at high risk, lifestyle changes alone are not enough to significantly reduce fracture risk. If medication is prescribed, treatment should be followed.

Osteoporosis is not an unavoidable threat.  It is a silent disease.  Take steps to protect your bone health – and start as early in life as you can!

About World Osteoporosis Day (WOD)

WOD takes place on 20 October annually and is a key date in the bone and musculoskeletal health community agenda. It’s an occasion when people around the globe unite to put the spotlight on the immense burden caused by osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal diseases, and the actions that can be taken to prevent and treat them. Health care providers, medical authorities, individuals and policy makers all have a role to play in helping to reduce the disease burden.  The global campaign has been organised by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) since 1998 and involves more than 99 countries.

To learn more about Lilly, please visit at www.lilly.co.za

References

• 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - Campaign Toolkit - WOD17-Toolkit.pdf – http://worldosteoporosisday.org/resources
• 1 - https://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-statistics
• 2 - Consumer leaflet - Building stronger bones in children and adolescents - Patient-Brochure-ENg-WOD17 - http://worldosteoporosisday.org/resources

Page 4 – see Bone Mass/Age diagram