AUSTRALIA: Osteoporosis affects more than 600,000

BRISBANE (The West Australian), August 4, 2008: More than 600,000 Australians are affected by osteoporosis, but many may not know it until they break a bone. A report unveiled today by federal Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot says the disease affects mostly middle aged or older people, with half the women and one in four men over the age of 60 suffering an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. The report - A Picture of Osteoporosis in Australia - was prepared jointly by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Osteoporosis Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing. Dr Kuldeep Bhatia, head of the AIHW's National Centre for Monitoring Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions, said the affects of osteoporosis could be debilitating or even fatal. “These fractures may lead to chronic pain, activity restrictions, loss of independence and, sometimes death,” Dr Bhatia said. Most common fractures were in the spine, hip, forearm and wrist, the latter two happening when a person extended an arm to break a fall. But spinal fractures could occur with or without pain and were often dismissed as back pain in old age. Once a spinal fracture happened the risk of further spinal fractures dramatically increased and when vertebrae were weakened by osteoporosis, normal spinal movement could cause tiny fractures. These could lead to increased curvature of the spine and a hunched posture known as kyphosis or dowagers hump and ultimately to a marked loss in height. But the report had some good news. Medical director of Osteoporosis Australia, Professor Peter Ebeling, said sufferers could help prevent osteoporosis by adopting a healthy diet, getting adequate vitamin D levels, regularly exercising and not smoking. “These actions can also help people with osteoporosis reduce their risk of fracture,” Prof Ebeling said. About 43 per cent of Australians with the disease took pharmaceutical drugs to manage it and 40 per cent used vitamin and mineral supplements such as calcium and vitamin D. AAP West Australian Newspapers Limited 2008.