In our country, every 6 minutes someone suffers a fracture as a result of osteoporosis. This chronic disease arises unnoticed and is estimated to affect more than 680 000 compatriots. It’s not just women who have to deal with it after menopause. Also, 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 develop brittle bones.
At first glance, osteoporosis may not seem so threatening, but the consequences should not be underestimated. Moreover, there is a silent epidemic in which more and more people have to deal with osteoporosis. “Worldwide we see that the number of fractures due to osteoporosis is increasing exponentially and that phenomenon will continue in the coming years,” outlines Prof. Dr. Evelien Gielen (UZ Leuven) of the Belgian Bone Club describes the situation. This increase has several causes. Older age is a risk factor, but there is also an increase in other specific causes such as a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D.
Little attention
Despite the enormous impact of fractures on quality of life and the skyrocketing costs associated with fracture repair, there is still too little attention from both the general public and physicians for the prevention of such fractures and for the disease in general. The majority of patients who are eligible for (preventive) treatment therefore remain untreated in Belgium. To draw more attention to good bone health and the importance of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis, ReumaNet and Amgen are launching an awareness campaign with a digital information session in the context of World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October.
Doctor Michaël Laurent, geriatrician and member of the Belgian Bone Club: “Osteoporosis is an insidious condition that often progresses without symptoms until painful fractures suddenly appear. Despite the availability of screening and diagnostic tools and effective treatment options, about 80% of the patients after a first fracture in Belgium no treatment to strengthen the bones and thus reduce the risk of additional fractures Osteoporosis already causes 100,000 fractures annually in the over-50s and that figure will only increase in the coming years due to the An aging population, which not only entails a major cost to our health system, but also, of course, a great deal of pain and discomfort for the patients themselves.” However, you can estimate your risk of osteoporosis with a simple self-test.
Early detection
The new awareness campaign “Happy to the bone” therefore highlights this available self-test to point out the importance of early detection. This test consists of a short, simple questionnaire that examines, among other things, your family history, your personal risk factors, such as gender, age, illness, medication and your lifestyle (nutrition, exercise). The results are immediately available and can be discussed with the GP to determine the need for treatment or further investigation.
I
At first glance, osteoporosis may not seem so threatening, but the consequences should not be underestimated. Moreover, there is a silent epidemic in which more and more people have to deal with osteoporosis. “Worldwide we see that the number of fractures due to osteoporosis is increasing exponentially and that phenomenon will continue in the coming years,” outlines Prof. Dr. Evelien Gielen (UZ Leuven) of the Belgian Bone Club describes the situation. This increase has several causes. Older age is a risk factor, but there is also an increase in other specific causes such as a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. Despite the enormous impact of bone fractures on the quality of life and the sky-high costs associated with repairing fractures, there is both both the general public and doctors still pay too little attention to the prevention of such fractures and to the disease in general. The majority of patients who are eligible for (preventive) treatment therefore remain untreated in Belgium. To draw more attention to good bone health and the importance of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis, ReumaNet and Amgen are launching an awareness campaign with a digital information session in the context of World Osteoporosis Day on October 20. Doctor Michaël Laurent, geriatrician and member of the Belgian Bone Club: “Osteoporosis is an insidious condition that often progresses without symptoms until painful fractures suddenly appear. Despite the availability of screening and diagnostic tools and effective treatment options, about 80% of patients after a first fracture in Belgium do not develop treatment to strengthen the bones and thus reduce the risk of additional fractures Osteoporosis now causes 100,000 fractures in the over-50s each year and that figure will only increase in the coming years due to the aging of our population. a major cost for our health system, but of course it also has l some pain and discomfort for the patients themselves.” However, you can estimate your risk of osteoporosis with a simple self-test. The new awareness campaign “Happy to the bone” therefore puts this available self-test in the spotlight to point out the importance of early detection. This test consists of a short, simple questionnaire that examines, among other things, your family history, your personal risk factors, such as gender, age, illness, medication and your lifestyle (nutrition, exercise). The results are immediately available and can be discussed with the GP to determine the need for treatment or further investigation.I