Older women experience a high prevalence of broken bones and neglected bone health, according to a new survey conducted by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). The researchers conducted the survey via Facebook, and over 7,100 women aged 60 years and older from Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom completed the survey. Although 43% of respondents reported sustaining a broken bone after the age of 50, 32.7% of them did not receive a diagnostic scan and 45% of them were not treated for osteoporosis following the injuries. Among those who had never broken a bone, 31.3% stated that they had never discussed bone health or osteoporosis with their physicians. Additionally, 63% and 13% of those who did discuss bone health with their physicians received diagnostic scans and discussed risk factors for osteoporosis, respectively.
The researchers emphasized that osteoporosis is often more common in older women and that osteoporosis-related fractures can result in pain, immobility, hospitalization, and reduced quality of life and independence. Because individuals who have previously broken bones may be at an increased risk of future fractures, they underscored the need for postfracture evaluations and follow-up osteoporosis treatments in this patient population. “[W]e urge health-care professionals to prioritize secondary fracture prevention in their … patients, to routinely assess postmenopausal women for osteoporosis risk factors, and to provide diagnostic scanning according to national guidelines,” concluded Cyrus Cooper, MA, DM, FRCP, FFPH, FMedSci, President of the IOF.