Why do millions of osteoporosis patients not get a proper diagnosis?

Doctors are calling for better treatment for osteoporosis
When people suffer from osteoporosis, the resulting decreased bone density leads to an increased fracture risk. However, many people do not suspect their illness. Researchers from the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) have now identified the top ten reasons why millions of cases of osteoporosis are not diagnosed worldwide.

Scientists from the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) identified the top ten care gaps in the treatment of osteoporosis in the "Gaps and Solutions in Bone Health" report. The results have summarized the IOF in a recent press release.

Osteoporosis leads to a reduction in bone density. As a result, sufferers have an increased risk of developing fractures. A report now shows the care gaps in the treatment of osteoporosis. (Image: adimas / fotolia.com)

Eighty percent of people with osteoporosis are insufficiently protected from fractures
About 80 percent of people with osteoporosis who have previously experienced a fracture remain unprotected from the risk of further fractures, the researchers say. Despite the global threat posed by so-called fragility fractures and the availability of safe and cost-effective therapies, too few high-risk patients are still treated successfully, according to the authors. The disease must be diagnosed and treated more reliably, so millions of fractures could be prevented, the doctors add.

New report shows urgent need for action
The current report is a necessary and urgent call to action, explains author Professor Eugene McCloskey. After all, fractures and the resulting human and socio-economic strains will have a huge impact on all countries with an aging population in the near future, according to the expert.

Effects of fragility fractures are often severe
So-called fragility fractures can cause chronic pain and result in limited mobility. As a result, the quality of life of those affected suffers considerably. Fewer than half of all hip-fractured seniors will ever be able to walk without help, the researchers report. Up to 20 percent of these people would even become residents of nursing homes within the next year.

The ten main supply gaps
The report explicitly mentions ten major gaps in care that prevent early diagnosis and treatment. The report also outlines possible solutions that could be implemented by national health authorities around the world. The identified supply gaps are:

1. Poor management in terms of secondary fracture prevention.
2. Medication-induced osteoporosis.
3. Insufficient consideration of other diseases associated with osteoporosis.
4. Lack of primary prevention in people at high risk for fractures.
5. Suboptimal communication and low public awareness of prescribed treatments.
6. Lack of public awareness of the serious effects of osteoporosis and fracture risk.
7. Inadequate education about the benefits of treatment compared to the risks of osteoporosis treatment.
8th. Impaired access to the diagnosis or treatment of osteoporosis.
9. The lack of prioritization of so-called fractility fracture prevention.
10. A lack of epidemiological data, especially in developing countries.

Report outlines global framework for avoiding osteoporotic fractures
The care gaps and related solutions outlined in this report outline a global framework for combating the devastating burden of osteoporotic fractures around the world, said the President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation Professor John A. Kanis. National politicians and health care organizations should work together to fill local gaps in treatment. Now is the time for optimal management of bone health and not just in ten or twenty years, adds the professor. (As)