(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women who suffer from osteoporosis don’t truly
understand the risk associated with the disease. A new study finds the majority
of women who have osteoporosis do not believe they are at a higher risk of
fracture than their peers.
The study included more than 60,000 women. Researchers say 55 percent of women
diagnosed with osteoporosis feel they are not at risk for a fracture.
Osteoporosis is when bones become fragile and are more likely to break. If left
untreated, the disease can progress painlessly until a fracture occurs. Half of
all women over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporosis related fracture in
their lifetime.
“Many women aren’t making the connection between their osteoporosis diagnosis
and the serious consequences of the disease, namely the risk of fractures and
the disability associated with those fractures,” Ethel Siris, MD, Director of
the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center of the Columbia University Medical Center,
New York – Presbyterian Hospital was quoted as saying. “This study underscores
the need for physicians to help patients better understand the meaning of an
osteoporosis diagnosis, not just from a clinical perspective but also from the
perspective of how it could potentially impact their lives.”
Study authors say that experiencing even one fracture after the age of 45 years
old can reduce a woman’s quality of life.
SOURCE: Presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 30th
Annual Meeting on September 15, 2008 in Montreal
