The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) have announced a collaboration agreement to advance the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures worldwide.
With the aging of the world’s population, the number of people with musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoporosis is increasing, placing an increasing and costly burden on the healthcare system. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lives. Yet the majority of people at high risk remain undiagnosed and untreated.
In addition, for the vast majority of fracture patients at high risk of recurrent fractures, structural follow-up care is not available to prevent secondary fractures. As part of the 5-year collaboration, WHO, together with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the WHO Collaborating Center for Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Health and Aging at the University of Liège, will set up a number of studies.
Among other things, the researchers are collecting data on the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis and fractures for countries and regions around the world, and reviewing evidence on interventions to prevent fractures in the elderly.
Bron:
WHO