Barely a quarter of those who suffer from osteoporosis receive appropriate therapy, experts reported at the EFORT Congress, in Vienna.
Speakers highlighted the seriousness of the issue, pointing out that a 50-year-old European woman faces the same statistical risk of dying from a femoral neck fracture as from breast cancer. Around 48 million are currently affected in the EU and prevalence is increasing. Professor Wolfhart Puhl commented, “Just half of those with the illness will be diagnosed correctly, while not even a quarter will get proper treatment.” He pointed out that the consequences are dramatic: in Germany alone there are 12,000 femoral neck fractures due to osteoporosis; EU wide the figure is over a million. He highlighted the need to improve training for physicians, while bone density tests are still rarely offered.
