Most Women With Osteoporosis Unaware of Raised Fracture Risk

But lifestyle changes can lower risk, researchers note

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

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MONDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A new large global survey reveals that more than half of women who suffer from osteoporosis do not perceive themselves to be at a higher risk for experiencing a fracture.

The international team of researchers noted that this apparent lack of concern about the potential for developing a debilitating or even life-threatening fracture flies in the face of estimates that suggest that one in two women over the age of 50 will ultimately go on to experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

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"It's very frustrating," said study co-author Dr. Ethel S. Siris, a professor of clinical medicine in the division of endocrinology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "Despite the fact that awareness of osteoporosis itself has increased lately, many of these women just don't get it. Not just in the U.S., but all over the world. Either because we haven't gotten the message across adequately, or because people simply do not want to hear it."

"But the fact is," she added, "that fracture risk goes way up among women with osteoporosis, and fracturing your vertebrae or hip, for example, is a very serious business. So, women simply need more education about it, not because we want to frighten them but because we want to empower them. Because the good news is, there are things -- lifestyle choices, medications -- that one can do to lower risk."

Siris and her colleagues were expected to present their findings Monday at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research meeting, in Montreal.

The authors noted the study was funded, in part, by an "unrestricted educational grant" with ties to the drug companies Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, as well as Sanofi-Aventis.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, about 55 percent of Americans over the age of 55 are at risk for developing osteoporosis, a bone-weakening disease defined by the deterioration of bone tissue and low bone mass.

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