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EU scorecard shows inequalities in osteoporosis care
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A panel of international osteoporosis experts recently published a new scorecard for osteoporosis in the European Union in hopes Europe will adopt a strategy to combat the disease.
“This scorecard draws attention to gaps and inequalities in the provision of primary and secondary prevention of fractures due to osteoporosis in all 27 member states of the [European Union] EU,” International Osteoporosis Foundation President Professor John Kanis, of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases at the University of Sheffield Medical School in Sheffield, England, stated in a press release. “We call on policymakers at all levels to develop Europe-wide strategies and parallel national strategies to provide coordinated osteoporosis care and to reduce debilitating fractures and their impact on individual lives and the health care system.”
According to the scorecard, less than half of women are treated for osteoporosis even though effective medication is available and in some countries, these medications are limited or not available to people who need it. Further, EU fracture documentation is poor, as national hip fracture registries are present in 15 member states.
Incidence of hip fracture also varies from member state to member state. Romania has an incidence rate of 198 per 100,000 people compared to Denmark, which has a rate of 574 per 100,000.
Reference:
Hernlund E. Arch Osteoporos. 2013. In press.
www.iofbonehealth.org/scope-scorecard-osteoporosis-europe