Bone Health Gets No Respect
As testing increases, we are finding many individuals have been infected with Covid-19. Many have no symptoms. Many do not know that they have it. The overall death rate when counting everyone infected is looking like less than 1%.
The same is true regarding Clinical Osteoporosis. Many do not know that they have it. There are no symptoms except a fracture. Up to 80% of those with thoracic vertebral fractures do not know they have had one. Up to 20% of those with a recognized vertebral fracture die within 6 months from complications of their osteoporosis.
A hip fracture is hard to miss. Hip fracture can be the first symptom of severe clinical osteoporosis. Like Covid-19, hip fracture (Clinical Osteoporosis) is most dangerous in those who are older and/or have pre-existing chronic diseases (co-morbidities).
Over 20% of older men who fracture a hip die of complications within 6 months and many die within weeks. This is comparable to older men with Covid-19 who require a ventilator. Yet osteoporosis gets no respect. More than half the time osteoporosis is not even listed as a contributing factor. And rarely is the hip fracture listed as the cause of death.
We consider Covid-19 to be the cause of death even if we only suspect it. Perhaps it is time to consider a treatable chronic disease like osteoporosis in the same way.
Jay Ginther, MD