A five year study released this past week found that almost one in four Canadians over 50 who break a hip and almost one in six who fracture their spine die within five years of the injury.
Doctor Jeff Dixon, an expert in osteoporosis and skeletal biology at the University of Western Ontario tells Bayshore Broadcasting News that the study is a wake up call for health care provider’s, the public, and government policy makers.
Dixon believes that the study will come as a surprise to most Canadians and believes many of us aren’t really aware of the consequences of osteoporosis.
He thinks the study should dawn some light on a serious problem that will continue to worsen as the baby boomers age.
Dixon says a challenge policy makers face is that prevention and treatment programs vary from place to place in Canada.
He says there needs to be adequate access to bone health service related to prevention.
Osteoporosis Canada says there are about 25 thousand hip fractures per year in Canada and 70 per cent are osteoporosis-related.
Data on spinal fractures is limited, but it is estimated that more than 65 per cent of vertebral fractures go undetected.
These breaks carry a hefty price tag as well, the annual cost of treating osteoporotic fractures is more than 1.3 billion dollars.