Epidemiological data on osteoporosis in women from the RAC-OST-POL study

In the RAC-OST-POL study, epidemiological data were presented concerning osteoporosis in 625 women older than 55 yr coming from the District of Raciborz in Poland. The mean age was 66.4 ± 7.8 yr. All the women fulfilled a questionnaire, gathering data on clinical risk factors of osteoporosis. Femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH) were measured. The mean value of bone mineral density for FN was 0.862 ± 0.129 g/cm(2), T-score -1.25 ± 0.92, and Z-score 0.039 ± 0.78, whereas the respective values for TH were 0.945 ± 0.149 g/cm(2), -0.47 ± 1.19, and 0.52 ± 0.98. T-score for FN below -2.5 was noted in 59 women (9.5%) and for TH in 23 women (3.7%). One hundred seventy six women reported prior osteoporotic fracture(s) (28.2%). Falls were the most common clinical risk factor. The number of clinical risk factors was significantly higher in subjects with fracture history than in those without fracture records. The only first-line antiresorptive medications, used in the therapy for osteoporosis, included alendronate-42 subjects (6.7%). Estrogen therapy was prescribed in 135 women and 7 were treated with calcitonin. Calcium was administered in 94 patients and vitamin D in 84 women. In all the women on therapy, Z-score values were significantly lower than in untreated women. Concluding, the results of our epidemiological study demonstrate low treatment rate in women with history of low trauma fracture. Effective strategies are needed for prevention, especially in regard to falls, and management of this disease, in particular for improvement of the treatment rates in affected women with prior fracture, in general.