Often perceived as benign, this chronic skeletal disease can have dramatic consequences if not treated correctly.
- Osteoporosis is 2 to 3 times more common in women than in men, due to menopause.
- In France, around the age of 65, it is estimated that 39% of women suffer from osteoporosis.
On the occasion of this World Osteoporosis Day, the ANCO (National Alliance Against Osteoporosis) warns of the serious consequences of this disease.
An increased risk of mortality
Osteoporosis is a chronic disease of the skeleton, causing fractures that often have serious consequences in terms of disability, loss of quality of life and mortality. The FRACTOS study confirms this. Carried out in France from the national health data system (SNDS), this retrospective cohort trial followed, over 2 to 8 years, 356,895 patients hospitalized between 2009 and 2014 for a serious osteoporotic fracture (hip, proximal humerus, pelvis , vertebrae, multiple ribs). Cross-referencing with data from the Sniiram (National health insurance inter-scheme information system) provided information on the additional examinations carried out and the treatments initiated.
Among the lessons of this study of unprecedented scope, it appears that these fractures increase the risk of mortality, which reaches 12.8% at 12 months, ranging from 5% for vertebral fractures to 16.6% for those of the hip. This risk persists beyond 24 months, with a rate reaching 20%.
new fractures
“Another important point concerns the occurrence of new fractures”, adds the ANCO. Occurring within a median of 19 months, they affect 6.3% of patients, the hip representing 47.7% of the total regardless of the initial fracture. “This finding is important because hip fracture is the cause of higher mortality. It is therefore essential not to miss a first fracture”, emphasizes Pr Bernard Cortet, rheumatologist at the University Hospital of Lille.
Finally, only 16.7% of patients received anti-osteoporosis treatment at least once in the year following the fracture, and maintenance of treatment was only 49% at 12 months and 12.9% at 3 years old. Professor Cortet indicates that he is “worrying that this percentage remains stable after the occurrence of this fracture which, in view of these recommendations, frequently requires the implementation of anti-osteoporotic treatment”.
Prevention and training
“Beyond these new data, the figures challenge: nearly 400,000 fractures are thus recorded each year in France, a number which could reach 490,000 in 2051”, continues the patient association. “Combating effectively against the deterioration of bone health and improving care that has deteriorated in recent years are therefore key”, concludes the ANCO. To do this, the emphasis must be placed on prevention, the training of general practitioners and the establishment of specific channels for the management of fractures.
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