I don't know how often you read the news in the field of medicine, but I try to keep abreast of what is happening in this area. These days, while browsing various specialized sites, I came across a news article that says that by 2050, the number of hip fractures in the world will double. I thought then to dwell a little on this topic in order to better understand why this is happening.
I can’t say that I didn’t know that hip fractures are a common occurrence in traumatology, but still the fact that such an event occurs every 3 seconds in the world is at least alarming, isn’t it?
Why is this happening?
In young people, fractures are most often associated with traumas or accidents. These causes are not excluded even in the elderly, but still in most cases, hip fractures in the elderly are due to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a fairly serious problem that the world is facing today. The most serious complication of osteoporosis from the medical and socio-economic side are hip fractures. All over the world, these fractures are accompanied by high mortality and a significant decrease in the quality of life of patients. The number of hip fractures is steadily increasing and this is due to urbanization and the aging of the population.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone density is reduced, making them brittle and prone to pathological fractures. In other words, osteoporosis is an increased "porosity" of the skeleton.
The main danger of the disease lies in the fact that the initial stage is not accompanied by any manifestations that can cause concern. The first and only manifestation of this systemic disease is pathological fractures of various localization.
Fractures in osteoporosis can occur even after minimal traumatic exposure. For example, a bone may break when falling from or below one's own height, or during sudden movement, sneezing, coughing, etc.
How does osteoporosis occur?
Bone tissue is constantly renewed throughout a person's life. The intensity of these processes naturally decreases with age. Normally, bone density increases up to 25-30 years, reaching a maximum by 35 years, then gradually begins to decrease. With osteoporosis, excessive leaching of minerals from the bone tissue occurs, the bones become porous, resembling a sponge in structure.
The general mechanism for the development of osteoporosis is the predominance of the processes of destruction of bone tissue over the processes of bone formation.
Osteoporosis can be caused by long-term smoking, alcohol abuse, digestive problems, metabolic disorders, or a hereditary disease. In old age, osteoporosis often occurs due to poor absorption of calcium as well as nutrients in the intestines.
In women, the rate of bone loss increases after menopause, when estrogen production plummets and bones no longer benefit from their protective action. Men also suffer from bone loss, but the rate of loss is slower than that of women.
However, according to a recent study by experts at the University of Hong Kong, by 2050, the number of hip fractures worldwide will have doubled compared to 2018, with a greater proportional increase in men than women.
The researchers say that men will be more at risk for several reasons, such as the increasing men’s life expectancy and the lower level of use of anti-osteoporosis drugs.
Dr. Cheung reported. "Our study also showed that the use of anti-osteoporosis medications following a hip fracture is lower in men than in women by 30% to 67%," he said. "Thus, more attention should be paid to preventing and treating hip fractures in men."
Osteoporosis is treatable, reversible, and can be prevented over a longer period of time if you know what it is and how to treat it. For patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, there are various treatments available to slow down the rate of bone loss.