Epidemiology of osteoporosis in Latin America 2008

Osteoporosis is a growing disease in Latin America, rates of fractures actually in LA are quite similar to the ones in Southern Europe and slightly lower than USA and Northern Europe. According to the population projection of the WHO subjects over 65 of age will increase significantly in the next 50 years in LA and the number of hip fractures in this area will equal the numbers in Europe and USA. Unfortunately, in LA there are not adequate resources in terms of medical facilities for osteoporosis diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation. Moreover, there are no policies of reimbursement for osteoporosis densitometry, bone markers measurements or medications in many countries or it is very limited in the ones who have started some kind of specific program for this matters. Thus, we have to face this public health problem by increasing the awareness of the disease in the general population, specific risk groups, schools, journalists or politicians. Improve medical education at different levels: Medical students, General Practitioners, Specialists, Nurses, and Social Workers. And, we have to develop enough influence to Public and Private Health Systems in order to make them to develop specific osteoporosis programs to cover a wide range of the population in LA, who actually is absolutely abandon of this kind of support.