New Delhi: Urban India is at a high risk of bone fractures. A study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research showed that over 69% of people aged 38-68 in Delhi suffer from continuous bone loss and face high risk of fractures.
The study conducted on around 223 men and 222 women by performing a qualitative ultrasound of their bones, found that around 8.99% patients were suffering from osteoporosis and 59.55% had osteopenia, a bone condition characterized by bone loss.
The study was conducted at the department of orthopaedics, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, during a community outreach programme organized with the help of a non-governmental organization.
“With 8.99% patients of osteoporosis and 59.55% patients of osteopenia, the overall population at risk of fractures in this study was found to be approximately 69%. This could have serious socio-economic burden in the future as the population of the elderly are bound to increase,” said Raju Vaishya, senior orthopaedic surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
“Unfortunately, most population is largely unaware of the serious complications associated with osteoporosis,” Vaishya said.
“We also found a significant association of the bone conditions with parent history of fracture and rheumatoid arthritis and secondary osteoporosis (caused by certain medical conditions or treatments that interfere with the attainment of peak bone mass and may cause bone loss). More care and attention should be targeted towards elderly, especially the ones with the risk factors to prevent osteoporosis in future,” he added.
Osteoporosis is usually considered a “silent disease” until a fracture occurs. Osteoporotic fractures are defined as fractures associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and include clinical spine, hip, forearm and shoulder fractures.
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