
Background Information on Osteoporosis
What is 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.
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Interesting facts and figures
- On average, women lose 10 centimetres in height in later life
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- 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
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Australian Statistics
- 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.
New Zealand Statistics
- 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.
Source: New Zealand Osteoporosis, www.osteoporosis.org.nz, accessed March 2001.
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