Apr. 3, 2008
Posted in Health, Quality of Life
Ten million Americans have osteoporosis, and 34 million suffer from osteopenia or low bone mass, which increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. The aging of the baby boomer generation will boost these numbers to 52 million by 2010.
A lot of progress has been made in the past 15 years in preventing, diagnosing and treating osteoporosis. Doctors and patients now have a number of options when it comes to choosing a medication and a lot has been written about prevention and the importance of strong healthy bones. Yet, we know that many women somehow are not getting the message and that the rate of fractures among older women remains too high and even those that are prescribed medication often stop taking it. (Yes, I realize that men are affected, but older women have the greatest risk.) Perhaps because it is a silent disease, with no symptoms until the first fracture, that silence extends to women and their health care professionals. Even if it is discussed during a check-up, a survey done by the Alliance a few years ago found a communications gap between how doctors talked about it and what resonated with women. Furthermore, the survey found a gap in perception between women and their doctors about how often the topic was discussed and who brought it up.
When we think of osteoporosis, we may picture a woman with stooped posture or the dreaded dowager’s hump. Not pretty images and hard to imagine if you perceive yourself as active and healthy. Even scarier is the fact that fractures due to osteoporosis can lead to death.
To promote greater understanding and dialogue about the disease, the Alliance has developed a new educational campaign including a video. Women have an opportunity to hear from other women living with osteoporosis in the “Standing Strong: Preventing & Treating Osteoporosis” video.
The Alliance also offers a new online quiz that lets women who have osteoporosis see how well they are doing with their treatment. Individuals receive the results of the quiz immediately, accompanied by tips about what they can do to take charge of their bone health. Women can print out their results and discuss them with their health care professional.
This disease is very real to me. My mother-in-law is disabled by weak bones and chronic pain. Although she is currently taking medication for the disease, the damage has been done. She is able to live independently, but we fear the outcome of her next fall. She is a constant reminder to me that we must do better in educating women about the disease and that health care providers must make it a higher priority. I hope to retain strong bones as long as I live and am already preaching prevention to my seven-year-old daughter.
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