Osteoporosis a silent killer

It's a killer, but you won't see osteoporosis listed as the cause of death in an obituary.

But it's definitely deadly. Dr. Diane Theriault, a Nova Scotia rheumatologist and national spokesperson for Osteoporosis Canada, will attest to that.

More women die from complications of osteoporosis than from breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer combined, she pointed out in a telephone interview from the Maritimes. And more men die from complications of osteoporosis than from prostate cancer.

"It's often assumed that if you have a broken bone, it's no big deal. It's not like cancer or heart attacks. You just put a cast on it and off you go.

"The fact is, it's not that simple at all," emphasized Theriault, a tireless advocate for improved access to bone mineral density (BMD) testing,

"It doesn't kill people the day of the (bone) fracture," she pointed out. But "it's a huge risk."

For example, 20-per-cent of women and 34 per cent of men will die within a year of breaking their hip from osteoporosis.

To put that into perspective, Theriault pointed out that after open-heart surgery or a coronary bypass, the expected mortality is one per cent, compared with the 20 per cent or 34-per-cent risk of mortality in one year after breaking a hip.

But osteoporosis doesn't have the public awareness that other diseases have, Theriault said frankly.

November is Osteoporosis Month. To raise awareness of the disease, which affects more than 1.4 million Canadians, bone china tea fundraisers are being held across the country. Theriault is in Regina this weekend speaking at the Regina Chapter of Osteoporosis Canada's bone china tea, which takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday on the main stage at the Conexus Arts Centre.

Misconceptions abound when it comes to osteoporosis.

"Have you got five hours?" Theriault responded when the subject was broached.

The biggest misconception, she said, is that osteoporosis is a disease of old age. It's not. It can strike at any age.

"It's no more a disease of old age than heart disease or diabetes. But it is a bit more common in the older people," she explained.

And it's not just a women's disease.

While it is common in women -- one in three will end up with a fracture due to osteoporosis -- it's not that rare in men either, Theriault pointed out. One in five men will suffer a fracture from osteoporosis during their lifetime.

"It's not a disease of little old women," she emphasized. "That's probably the biggest misconception."

Another misconception has to do with the prevention specifically who to treat, and when to treat them. The trick is to start treatment for those at risk early enough to prevent the first fracture, but not unnecessarily early.

"Because our medications are very effective, and they work within about 12 months of starting treatment, and they do reduce the risk of fractures very significantly, then our job is to try to pick up individuals who are at risk of fractures. And we don't want to pick them out 70 years before that fracture, because then we'd be subjecting them to 70 years of treatment before the fracture comes," Theriault said.

Source: http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=d7fa5abd-40e6-4563-9b35-336998171256&k=48372