Original title: Fragility fractures in Europe: burden, management and opportunities
Osteoporosis weakens bones, making them more likely to break from a minor fall or bump. The report compares fractures and their management across six European countries. It estimates 2.7 million new fragility fractures in 2017, with costs of €37.5 billion. Many people eligible for osteoporosis drugs are not receiving them. The report says services that assess people after a fracture could help prevent more fractures.
Imagine a small crack in a wall after a bump, then leaving it unchecked. The crack may be a warning that the wall needs attention, but no one checks whether it is likely to happen again or how to prevent it. In this paper, a fracture is the warning sign, and a fracture liaison service is the follow-up that can assess a person's risk and help prevent another break.
Fragility fractures affect older adults and can lead to lost healthy years, while their costs are expected to rise. The report estimates that fracture liaison services could help avoid at least 19,000 fractures each year if all patients who fracture were enrolled.
The abstract describes estimates for six European countries, not all of Europe. It does not give country-by-country results or explain the detailed data and modelling methods. It estimates that fracture liaison services might prevent at least 19,000 fractures if all patients who fracture were enrolled; it does not report that this reduction was observed in practice.
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Fragility fractures in Europe: burden, management and opportunities — Fredrik Borgström, Linda Katharina Karlsson, Gustaf Ortsäter et al. — Archives of Osteoporosis — doi:10.1007/s11657-020-0706-y
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.