The worldwide problem of osteoporosis: insights afforded by epidemiology
- PMID: 8573428
- DOI: 10.1016/8756-3282(95)00258-4
The worldwide problem of osteoporosis: insights afforded by epidemiology
Abstract
Osteoporosis is one of the major problems facing women and older people of both sexes. The morbid event in osteoporosis is fracture. However, the definition of osteoporosis should not require the presence of fractures but only a decrease in bone mass that is associated with an unacceptably high risk of fracture. In the USA, approximately 1.5 million fractures annually are attributable to osteoporosis: these include 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 distal forearm (Colles') fractures, 250,000 hip fractures, and 300,000 fractures of other limb sites. The lifetime risk of fractures of the spine (symptomatic), hip, and distal radius is 40% for white women and 13% for white men from 50 years of age onwards. Following a hip fracture, there is a 10%-20% mortality over the subsequent 6 months, 50% of sufferers will be unable to walk without assistance, and 25% will require long-term domiciliary care. Contrary to prevailing opinion, the morbidity and suffering associated with wrist and spine fractures are also considerable. The annual cost of osteoporosis to the US healthcare system is at least $5-$10 billion with similar incidence and cost in other developed countries. These already high costs will increase further with continued aging of the population. In addition, the population explosion in underdeveloped countries will change the demography of osteoporosis; for example, the incidence of hip fracture, and, presumably, other osteoporotic fractures will increase four-fold worldwide during the next 50 years and the attendant costs will threaten the viability of the healthcare systems of many countries. Unless decisive steps for preventive intervention are taken now, a catastrophic global epidemic of osteoporosis seems inevitable.
Similar articles
-
Evidence from data searches and life-table analyses for gender-related differences in absolute risk of hip fracture after Colles' or spine fracture: Colles' fracture as an early and sensitive marker of skeletal fragility in white men.J Bone Miner Res. 2004 Dec;19(12):1933-44. doi: 10.1359/JBMR.040917. Epub 2004 Sep 20. J Bone Miner Res. 2004. PMID: 15537435
-
The impact of the new National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) diagnostic criteria on the prevalence of osteoporosis in the USA.Osteoporos Int. 2017 Apr;28(4):1225-1232. doi: 10.1007/s00198-016-3865-3. Epub 2016 Dec 13. Osteoporos Int. 2017. PMID: 27966104
-
Burden of osteoporosis and fractures.Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2003 Sep;1(2):66-70. doi: 10.1007/s11914-003-0011-x. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2003. PMID: 16036067 Review.
-
[Osteoporosis and Colles' fracture].Ugeskr Laeger. 2001 Oct 1;163(40):5503-6. Ugeskr Laeger. 2001. PMID: 11601115 Review. Danish.
-
Epidemiology and predictors of fractures associated with osteoporosis.Am J Med. 1997 Aug 18;103(2A):3S-8S; discussion 8S-11S. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(97)90021-8. Am J Med. 1997. PMID: 9302892 Review.
Cited by
-
Tripod-Fix device for the treatment of painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 12;14(1):23877. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75326-z. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 39396082 Free PMC article.
-
Utilizing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the adjunctive diagnosis of osteoporosis.Eur J Med Res. 2024 Sep 30;29(1):476. doi: 10.1186/s40001-024-02081-2. Eur J Med Res. 2024. PMID: 39343945 Free PMC article.
-
Trends in hip fracture rates in US male veterans.Osteoporos Int. 2024 Sep 3. doi: 10.1007/s00198-024-07236-9. Online ahead of print. Osteoporos Int. 2024. PMID: 39223281
-
Is there a causal relationship between resistin levels and bone mineral density, fracture occurrence? A mendelian randomization study.PLoS One. 2024 Aug 27;19(8):e0305214. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305214. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 39190724 Free PMC article.
-
Conversion of a Failed Hip Hemiarthroplasty to Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Arthroplast Today. 2024 Jul 20;28:101459. doi: 10.1016/j.artd.2024.101459. eCollection 2024 Aug. Arthroplast Today. 2024. PMID: 39100418 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
