Doctors Failing on Osteoporosis

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Doctors Failing on Osteoporosis

Mar. 5, 2002 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research suggests doctors are not

doing enough to prevent osteoporosis among their patients at risk for

the disease. Researchers found less than half of older women surveyed

reported being counseled by their physicians about treatment for the

condition.

Osteoporosis is a growing health problem in the United States, with more

than 243,000 older adults, mostly women, suffering some form of

disability from the condition. Researchers say costs of caring for these

patients is expected to double over the next 30 years unless

comprehensive programs aimed at preventing and treating the disease are

implemented on a more widespread basis.

These investigators, from Yale University, set out to determine if

doctors are part of the problem by surveying around 1,000 women between

ages 40 and 69. The women were asked if their physicians had discussed

osteoporosis with them and if they were offered advice on preventative

treatment such as hormone replacement therapy, calcium, and

weight-bearing exercise.

Results showed just 49 percent of the women reported having been

counseled about their osteoporosis risk by their doctors. Analysis found

no difference in the rate of counseling between women with multiple risk

factors for the disease and those without. Just 12 percent to 34 percent

of high-risk women received a bone mineral density test. Women with an

existing diagnosis of osteoporosis, however, were more likely to receive

medical advice about the condition.

The researchers conclude osteoporosis is, for many physicians, an

illness that warrants treatment only after a fracture has occurred,

rather than one that should be assessed and treated to prevent fractures

from occurring.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2002;162:450-456