Osteoporosis, called “the silent thief”, has become a major public health problem with major consequences on the population in the recent decades. The Osteoporosis International Foundation is launching a campaign today, The World Osteoporosis Day, dedicated to increase awareness about metabolic bone diseases.
The theme for 2014 is to be aware that although osteoporosis is a disease that predominantly affects women, men can face this illness just as well. Worldwide, one in five men suffers a fracture due to osteoporosis, which can remain undiagnosed after an accident. It was found that many men do not know that they have the disease and therefore are not treating it. In general, osteoporosis affects men in their 50’s and older.
According to the Osteoporosis International Foundation, men are twice as likely to die after a hip fracture, and are more likely to suffer an osteoporotic fracture than to develop prostate cancer. It was found that over the past 70 years, men and women lose bone mass at the same rate and the absorption of calcium (a mineral important for bone health) decreases in both sexes. The excessive loss of mass makes bones more fragile and more likely to fracture.
Osteoporosis is a disease that gradually weakens bones, making them fragile, able to break very easily. Fractures may occur after a small fall, as a result of a sneeze, and even bending over to tie a shoelace. Any bone may break due to osteoporosis, but the most serious and most common fractures are of the spine and the hip.
World Osteoporosis Day was initiated on October 20, 1996, by the National Osteoporosis Society in the UK and supported by the European Commission. In 1997 it was marked by the International Osteoporosis Foundation. In 1998 and 1999, the World Health Organization became co-partner of marking this day. Since 1999, a specific theme is presented on each World Osteoporosis Day.
According to data from the World Health Organization, over 150 million people are suffering from this disease worldwide. In Europe and the United States about 2.3 million osteoporotic fractures occur each year. It has been calculated that every 30 seconds a person suffers an osteoporotic fracture. Furthermore, it is estimated that over the next 50 years, the number of osteoporotic fractures will double. Therefore, Osteoporosis International Foundation is struggling to attract the funding to obtain a coherent strategy to prevent and treat this disease.