Orthopaedic Surgeons Become 1st Line Defense to Prevent Future Fractures

Lund, Sweden, May 23, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Orthopaedic departments now have access to the tool they need to rise to the challenge of recognising osteoporosis patients when they first present, and directing them to an appropriate care-pathway. Unveiled this week by the International Osteoporosis Foundation(IOF), the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) and the International Society for Fracture Repair (ISFR), this new osteoporosis education kit was developed to help orthopaedic surgeons to better diagnose and treat the ‘brittle bone’ disease which causes one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 to suffer a fracture of the hip, wrist, or vertebra.

A multiparty initiative of these three key players in the worldwide fight against osteoporosis, the Orthopaedic Surgeons Initiative aims to raise osteoporosis awareness amongst orthopaedists and provide clear clinical pathways for fragility fracture patients after the first fracture occurs, in an effort to avoid further fractures.

“Orthopaedic surgeons are usually the first health professionals to see a patient with a fragility fracture and as such it is essential that they are knowledgeable about osteoporosis and its appropriate management, including initiating or referring for bone density evaluation, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, fall prevention and follow-up,” said Dr Karsten Dreinhöfer, BJD Director of Development and orthopaedic surgeon from the University Hospital in Ulm, Germany.

Recent surveys have shown a surprising lack of osteoporosis knowledge and/or care protocols in many orthopaedic departments around the world. “More then 90% of patients with fragility fractures leave the hospital without an appropriate work-up for the underlying disease. Considering that the first fragility fracture is the strongest risk factor for suffering further fractures, it is the paramount responsibility of every orthopaedic surgeon to inform the patient about the underlying disease and preventive measures,” said Dr Dreinhöfer.

The new educational training package was announced over the weekend at the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) Congress in Florence, Italy and will be made available to orthopaedic surgeons worldwide. The symposium was chaired by Prof Ghassan Maalouf of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD), and Prof Wolfhart Puhl of EFORT. The educational slide kit, freely available on the Bone and Joint Decade website www.bjdonline.org, includes four cutting-edge lectures on osteoporosis, geared specifically for orthopaedic surgeons, plus a summary lecture to wrap-up all of the information presented:

• Challenges of Fragility Fracture Treatment Prof. Dave Marsh, UK
• Pathogenesis of Fragility Fractures: A biomechanical view Dr. Mary Bouxsein, USA
• Osteoporosis and Fractures: The size of the problem Prof. Kristina Åkesson, Sweden
• Fragility Fractures: Clinical pathways Dr. Karsten Dreinhöfer, Germany, Dr. Ghassan Maalouf, Lebanon
• Summary Lecture Dr. Mary Bouxsein, USA,
Dr. Aenor Sawyer, USA,
Dr. Nansa Burlet, Switzerland

In addition, information to help the public better understand the condition is provided:

• Osteoporosis FAQs: Frequently asked questions
• Prevention of Osteoporosis: Skeletal health across our lifespan

Osteoporosis – some facts
• Worldwide osteoporosis, in which the bones become fragile and fracture easily, affects one in two women over age 50 (more than breast cancer) and one in of four men over age 50 (more than prostate cancer).
• Osteoporosis-related fractures have almost doubled in the last decade. One in every three women and one in five men over age 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis.
• In the USA, more than 1.5 million fractures each year are caused by osteoporosis. Today, 10 million Americans already have osteoporosis and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for this disease. The rate of osteoporosis-related fractures and the costs of caring for these fractures are expected to rise by almost 50% to more than three million fractures costing $25.3 billion by 2025. (Burge, et al)
• A hip fracture is considered the most preventable cause of seniors’ loss of independence -- up to 50% of people experiencing a hip fracture are never able to walk independently again.
• The frequency of hip fractures from osteoporosis will double in Asia and Latin America in the coming decades.
• Women with vertebral fractures have a 5-time increased risk for a new vertebral fracture and a twice increased risk for fractures of the proximal femur.
• One of five women will experience in the first year following the first fracture a new vertebral fracture.

About the Bone and Joint Decade 2000 – 2010
Launched in 2000, the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) is a global, multidisciplinary and collaborative campaign created to create a unified voice focused on improving the quality of life of the millions of people affected by musculoskeletal conditions worldwide. The BJD is comprised of National Action Networks in 61 countries and carries the endorsement of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Vatican and more than 750 national professional associations. The BJD’s campaigns aim to increase awareness of the burden of musculoskeletal conditions, influence governmental policy makers to support prevention, promote research and improve professional knowledge and patient empowerment in countries around the world.

###