Background Information on Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. ²¹

• On average, women lose 10 centimetres in height in later life ²² .
• World-wide there was an estimated 1.66 million hip fractures in 1990 and it is estimated that this will rise to 6.26 million in 2050 ²³ .

• One in two women and one in three men over sixty will sustain a fracture due to osteoporosis. (Garvan Institute, Sydney).
• Over a 12 month period, 709 in 100,000 Australian women will suffer a hip fracture and be hospitalised. This extrapolates to 17,725 Australian women with hip fractures in 12 months (Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study).
• Over 50% of people with hip fracture will require long term nursing care (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
• One in three Hospital beds will be occupied by elderly women with fractures by 2020 (Garvan Institute).
• 17% of people with hip fractures die within four months (North Sydney Health Service Study).
• Hospital costs alone of Osteoporosis in Australia are currently over $800 Million each year. (Garvan Institute, Sydney).

Source: Osteoporosis Australia, www.osteoporosis.org.au, accessed March 2001.

• 56% of women and 29% of men will suffer a fracture after the age of 60 because of osteoporosis.
• More than 3,000 New Zealanders break a hip each year. This figure is expected to rise to 4,800 in ten years time as our population ages.
• Nearly a third of people with hip fractures die from fracture-related complications within a year.
• Another third of people with hip fractures never return home. Many who do lose their mobility and independence.
• More women are hospitalised with a hip fracture due to osteoporosis than through breast cancer.
• The estimated cost to New Zealand is $200 million each year.