Clinical update on osteoporosis

In his latest Clinical Update, Gary Culliton examines the current treatment for osteoporosis, including the benefits of online assessment of fracture risk. FRAX is the first-line screening tool Osteoporosis is underdiagnosed and undertreated in Ireland. It is estimated that there are approximately 3,000 osteoporosis-related hip fractures in Ireland every year. The financial cost of dealing with each hip fracture is between €12,000 and €20,000 but besides the financial cost, there is also a quality of life impact: 20 per cent mortality rate within a year, 50 per cent of patients have a long-term disability after an osteoporotic fracture, and 25…