osteoporosis This is a bone disease that affects millions of people in Spain. especially common among women. It affects about three million people, which represents 5.4% of total populationAccording to the Spanish Association of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ACOSAR). From this number 79.2% are womenwhile only 20.8% correspond to men.
This situation may get worse. In fact, as said Josep Vergespresident of the association, “it is important to be prepared because Spain is becoming an increasingly long-lived country.” Moreover, projections show that by 2034, the number of people suffering from osteoporosis could increase by 29.6% due to the aging population.
This disease is also a leading cause of fragility fractures, which are bone fractures resulting from minimal pressure or a fall due to low bone density. In 2019 approx. 285,000 osteoporosis-related fractures
which is equivalent to 14.8 fractures per 1000 people. According to Vergès, this trend repeats itself every year as fractures caused by osteoporosis affect an average of 300,000 people per year.“Prevention includes physical activity and diet, with particular emphasis on the Mediterranean diet.”
Therefore, it is critical to raise awareness about prevention. “This is where physical activity and nutrition come into play, with particular emphasis on the Mediterranean diet,” says the ACOSAR president in a statement to this media outlet. Prevention targeted especially at women, who again suffer the most because every third woman over 50 years old will suffer an osteoporotic fracture at some point in their lives, compared with one in five men.
In addition, it should be noted that osteoporosis has a direct connection with menopause, since decreased estrogen levels accelerate bone loss. Approximately 2 million women in Spain suffer from this condition, with a prevalence of around 25% among those who have gone through menopause, meaning one in four women at this stage of life. menopause marks a critical time in the progression of the disease as bones become more fragile and prone to fractures, with hip fractures being particularly alarming: about 25,000 per year. “It’s important for women to know all this before menopause,” says Vergès.
PRICE OF OSTEOPOROSIS
He socioeconomic costs of osteoporosis In Spain the situation is no less alarming. In 2019, the total costs associated with fragility fractures were 4.3 billion euros. According to the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), this includes 1,810 million for accidental fractures, 2,190 million for the long-term disability they entail and 303 million for the assessment and treatment of the disease.
This expenditure represents 3.8% of the total amount allocated to health care in the country. In addition to economic costs, there is emotional and social impactbecause fractures usually dramatically reduce the independence and quality of life of older people, and their rehabilitation can be long and painful.
Osteoporosis also increases the risk of death in people suffering from it.
Besides the costs, osteoporosis also increases the risk of death in people who suffer from it. It is assumed that every fifth patient dies within a year after a hip fracture. In 2019, a total of 248,487 deaths were directly attributable to fractures caused by osteoporosis. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) considers osteoporosis to be the second most important health problem worldwide, after cardiovascular disease.
But despite the high prevalence of osteoporosis and its impact on the lives of those who suffer from it, the disease is still not considered a serious health problem. This is why the active role of organizations such as ACOSAR helps spread awareness so that more and more people become aware of the extent of this pathology.