This silent disease affects millions of Australians
Osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones brittle and fragile, affects 1.2 million Australians. According to Osteoporosis Australia, a further 6.3 million Australians have low bone density, putting them at risk of osteoporosis.
Known as the “silent disease” as osteoporosis generally has no signs or symptoms, an estimated four out of five people in Australia don’t know they are at risk of breaking a bone. Most people don’t find out they have osteoporosis until a fracture happens.
Your risk of osteoporosis increases with age
As we start losing bone from our skeleton from around 30 years of age, our risk of osteoporosis increases as we get older. When bones become thinner, we’re vulnerable to “minimal trauma” fractures, where a minor fall or bump can cause serious fractures. Think falling from standing height or stumbling on steps – basically, any event that would not normally result in a fracture if the bone was healthy.
Professor Peter Croucher is the Head of the Bone Biology Division at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, an international leader in osteoporosis research. He says one of their biggest challenges is getting the public to take their bone health seriously before they have their first fracture.
“There are estimates that 155,000 fractures will occur in Australia due to poor bone health. There’s probably two-thirds of Australians over 50 who have osteopenia – which is low bone mass – and this places them at risk of having a fracture in the future,” says Professor Croucher.
The “cascade effect” of fractures
Anybody who has suffered a fracture, especially in older age, knows it’s a serious matter. What is most concerning with osteoporotic fractures is that once you have your first one, your risk of further fractures significantly rises. About half of the people who experience an osteoporotic fracture will have another fracture within the year – and the risk greatly increases with each new fracture.
“You don't necessarily know you've got problems with your skeleton until you have that first fracture and the challenge then is once you've had one fracture you're more likely to have others,” says Professor Croucher, adding, “It's a signal you've already lost bone from your skeleton and you're susceptible to having future fractures.”
Falls and fractures are not an inevitable part of growing old. However, at the moment the majority of older women and men who suffer a first fracture don’t get optimal treatment to reduce the risk of further broken bones. Unfortunately, osteoporosis is still a severely undertreated disease and often the underlying cause of the fracture won’t be investigated.
Osteoporosis Australia advises that if you are 50 and over and experience a fracture following a minor bump or fall, talk to your doctor about osteoporosis. Osteoporotic fractures are a serious condition that can lead to chronic pain, disability, a loss of independence and even death, especially from hip and spine fractures.
“Our studies have led to the discovery that if you have fractures, this is associated with a poor outcome and an increased risk of dying prematurely,” says Professor Croucher. “If you’re 50 years and older and you have a fracture, you have a greater risk of dying from that than you do of breast cancer.”
He adds, “People are completely unaware of the mortality associated with osteoporotic fractures.”
The gender effect
Osteoporosis has commonly been viewed as a women’s disease as it was believed to predominantly affect women, but research from Garvan scientists has found that it’s a misconceived view.
As women generally have smaller bones than men and experience loss of bone at a faster rate due to menopause, women are initially twice as likely as men to have a fracture. But once men over the age of 60 suffer one fracture, around one in three will have another broken bone within a few years.
“The protective effects of being male disappear once you have that first fracture,” notes Professor Croucher. “Men don't have as many fractures initially as women, and that probably explains why it's seen to be less of a problem, but once they’ve had that first fracture, they do as badly as women, and subsequently catch up with women and have just as many fractures.”
How well do you know your bones?
As we get older, we’re very good at looking after our health. We make sure we’re getting regular check-ups for cancer, work out our brains, ensure our heart is in healthy shape – but our skeleton is often neglected. Bone health is not a health issue that’s at the front of our mind but osteoporosis can be seriously disabling and even fatal so it’s imperative all over-60s be informed.
Last year, Garvan and Osteoporosis Australia developed and launched Know Your Bones, a free online tool which helps people assess their risk of bone fractures. The assessment is easy to do and once completed, you will be provided with a personalised estimate of your bone fracture risk, as well as a report which you can share with your GP. Depending on your level of risk, your doctor may recommend you take a bone density test and prescribe treatment.
Good treatment is available
Although there’s currently no cure for osteoporosis, as there’s not yet a way to put bone back into our skeletons, there are good treatments available for osteoporosis that can halve the likelihood of further fractures. In fact, researchers from Garvan discovered an unexpected benefit of osteoporosis treatment was an extra five years of life. People taking bisphosphonates (osteoporosis treatment) are not only surviving well, they seem to be adding an extra five years to their life.
It’s why it’s so important that all over-60s take the first step to understanding their bone health and what they can do about it.
“People just don't think about their skeleton – and our big challenge is to get people to think about it and to get them to think about it early enough so they can do things to stop future bone loss and prevent fractures,” says Professor Croucher.
As Professor Croucher sums up: “You only have one skeleton. And you’ve got to look after it.”
For more information or to support Garvan’s research into osteoporosis, please visit: garvan.org.au/osteoporosis
THIS IS SPONSORED CONTENT BROUGHT TO YOU IN CONJUNCTION WITH GARVAN INSTITUTE.