IOF: A fracture every 3 seconds worldwide - That's osteoporosis (PHOTO)

Geneva, Switzerland (ots) -

Marine fractured her spine while bending to help her disabled
mother. Lo Lan broke her hip after tripping over a loose carpet in
her home.

Both women have something in common. They were unaware that they
had osteoporosis, the disorder which causes bones to become weak and
as fragile as glass. People with osteoporosis can fracture a bone
even after the most minor fall from standing height, or from simply
sneezing, or bending to tie a shoelace.

Worldwide, one in three women and one in five men aged 50 or over
will sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture. Approximately 200
million people are affected, resulting in a fracture every 3 seconds.

On World Osteoporosis Day, October 20, the International
Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), together with its 250 member
organizations worldwide, urge all older adults to be aware of
osteoporosis risk factors and to consult their doctors if they are at
risk.

Although there are many factors which can point to possible
underlying osteoporosis, among the most common are: a broken bone
after age 50 following a low-trauma fall; height loss of more than 4
cm (ca 1.5 inches); long-term use of glucocorticoids and other bone
damaging medications; being frail and underweight; and parental
history of osteoporosis or hip fracture. A quick and easy way to
alert oneself to possible risk is with the new online IOF
Osteoporosis Risk Check (http://riskcheck.iofbonehealth.org/).

A fracture in one's senior years can be life-changing. Acute pain,
lengthy rehabilitation, long-term disability, dependence on
caregivers, and loss of quality of life are all too common. Hip
fractures can be life-threatening and loss of function and
independence among survivors is profound, with 40% unable to walk
independently and 60% requiring assistance a year later. Because of
these losses, 33% are totally dependent or in a nursing home in the
year following a hip fracture.

IOF President Professor Cyrus Cooper, states:

"All adults must make their bone health a priority. Maintaining
strong bones and muscles is the key to an active, mobile future at
older age. If you're at risk, don't hesitate to ask your doctor for
testing and an appropriate treatment strategy if needed. Today, there
is a wide range of effective osteoporosis treatments which have been
shown to reduce the risk of hip fractures by up to 40% and spine
fractures by 30-70%."

IOF also calls on health authorities to prioritize bone health and
thereby reduce the costly human and economic burden of fragility
fractures in their countries.

Professor Cooper adds: "As experts in the field we join our
patient advocates in urging global action. A pervasive treatment gap
is leaving even the most high-risk patients unprotected against
fractures. An individual who has already had one fragility fracture
is highly vulnerable to further fractures, with a five times greater
risk of another fracture within the first year. Yet approximately 80%
of these patients are neither identified nor treated for the
underlying cause, osteoporosis."

A key strategy to addressing the treatment gap and the global
fragility fracture crisis is the implementation of Fracture Liaison
Services in all hospitals which see fracture patients. Such
coordinated, multi-disciplinary services improve patient care and
help reduce secondary fractures - ultimately decreasing enormous
fracture-related healthcare costs around the world.

About World Osteoporosis Day (WOD):

Marked annual on October 20, the campaign calls for global action
to fight osteoporosis and related fractures worldwide.
www.worldosteoporosisday.org

WOD Official Partners: Sunsweet, Takeda, Medtronic

About IOF:

The International Osteoporosis Foundation is the world's largest
non-governmental organization dedicated to bone health and
osteoporosis prevention.

@iofbonehealth

www.iofbonehealth.org

Pressekontakt:
L. Misteli
info@iofbonehealth.org
+41 22 994 0100

Original-Content von: The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), übermittelt durch news aktuell