Related Experiment Videos
Undertreatment of osteoporosis in regional Western Australia
Michelle Mei Yee Lai1, Wan Mei Ang, Marjory McGuiness
1Fracture Neck of Femur Unit, Royal Perth Hospital (Shenton Park Campus), Perth, Western Australia, Australia. michellemylai@gmail.com
Aim:
To identify the geographic differences in osteoporosis management.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, osteoporosis treatments in older patients presented to a hip fracture unit from mid 2005-2009 were analysed. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of rural residency with osteoporosis treatments.
Results:
Among 1130 patients (20% rural, mean age 81.1 years), there was a low prescription rate for osteoporosis among rural patients. Rural patients were 65% less likely to use vitamin D, 60% less likely to use calcium and 46% less likely to use bisphosphonates before a hip fracture than their urban counterparts. Their compliance with vitamin D and calcium was also lower at 1 year but improved significantly over the study period, whereas compliance with bisphosphonate decreased in both regions.
Conclusion:
Undertreatment of osteoporosis was common in rural patients. These findings need to be confirmed by larger population-based studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:40Bone Remodeling
01:31Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
01:31Essential Minerals for Bone Health
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...