User login
SEATTLE — Even after older men fracture their bones, osteoporosis is rarely diagnosed and rarely treated, according to the findings of a Kaiser Permanente study of 1,171 men.
Of men over the age of 65 years with a fracture, only 3.3% had a diagnosis of primary osteoporosis and only 7% received treatment with a bisphosphonate or calcitonin before or after their fractures, Adrianne C. Feldstein, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Another 15% either had a diagnosis of secondary osteoporosis or received treatment for secondary osteoporosis, said Dr. Feldstein, a clinical investigator for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Ore.
Only 1% of the men had a bone mineral density test. The study included all men in the system who had at least one fracture over a 3.5-year period that ended in 2001. The investigation excluded any patient with a fracture that was unlikely to be associated with brittle bones, such as skull, face, finger, or ankle fractures. The mean age of the men included was 76 years.
The rates at which treatments were prescribed varied, depending on the type of fracture. Among men who fractured their vertebrae, 30% had or were given a prescription for a bisphosphonate, but only 1% of those with an upper extremity fracture received a bisphosphonate. Only 2.2% of those with a hip fracture had or were given a prescription.
During the course of the study, there appeared to be a slight increase in awareness. Of men who had a fracture in the last year of the study, 10% either had or were given bisphosphonate or calcitonin treatment.
SEATTLE — Even after older men fracture their bones, osteoporosis is rarely diagnosed and rarely treated, according to the findings of a Kaiser Permanente study of 1,171 men.
Of men over the age of 65 years with a fracture, only 3.3% had a diagnosis of primary osteoporosis and only 7% received treatment with a bisphosphonate or calcitonin before or after their fractures, Adrianne C. Feldstein, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Another 15% either had a diagnosis of secondary osteoporosis or received treatment for secondary osteoporosis, said Dr. Feldstein, a clinical investigator for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Ore.
Only 1% of the men had a bone mineral density test. The study included all men in the system who had at least one fracture over a 3.5-year period that ended in 2001. The investigation excluded any patient with a fracture that was unlikely to be associated with brittle bones, such as skull, face, finger, or ankle fractures. The mean age of the men included was 76 years.
The rates at which treatments were prescribed varied, depending on the type of fracture. Among men who fractured their vertebrae, 30% had or were given a prescription for a bisphosphonate, but only 1% of those with an upper extremity fracture received a bisphosphonate. Only 2.2% of those with a hip fracture had or were given a prescription.
During the course of the study, there appeared to be a slight increase in awareness. Of men who had a fracture in the last year of the study, 10% either had or were given bisphosphonate or calcitonin treatment.
SEATTLE — Even after older men fracture their bones, osteoporosis is rarely diagnosed and rarely treated, according to the findings of a Kaiser Permanente study of 1,171 men.
Of men over the age of 65 years with a fracture, only 3.3% had a diagnosis of primary osteoporosis and only 7% received treatment with a bisphosphonate or calcitonin before or after their fractures, Adrianne C. Feldstein, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Another 15% either had a diagnosis of secondary osteoporosis or received treatment for secondary osteoporosis, said Dr. Feldstein, a clinical investigator for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Ore.
Only 1% of the men had a bone mineral density test. The study included all men in the system who had at least one fracture over a 3.5-year period that ended in 2001. The investigation excluded any patient with a fracture that was unlikely to be associated with brittle bones, such as skull, face, finger, or ankle fractures. The mean age of the men included was 76 years.
The rates at which treatments were prescribed varied, depending on the type of fracture. Among men who fractured their vertebrae, 30% had or were given a prescription for a bisphosphonate, but only 1% of those with an upper extremity fracture received a bisphosphonate. Only 2.2% of those with a hip fracture had or were given a prescription.
During the course of the study, there appeared to be a slight increase in awareness. Of men who had a fracture in the last year of the study, 10% either had or were given bisphosphonate or calcitonin treatment.