in the u. s. 44 million people have low bone density (10 million have osteoporosis and 34 million have osteopenia). this amounts to 55% of the u. s. population aged 50 years and older. one in two caucasian women will fracture a bone due to osteoporosis in her lifetime. in the u. s. direct health-care costs from osteoporosis fractures amount to a billion dollars without even taking into account the indirect costs such as lost days at work and productivity. approximately 20% of those who experience a hip fracture will die in the year following the fracture. one-third of hip-fracture patients are discharged to a nursing home within the year after fracture. only one-third of hip-fracture patients regain their pre-fracture level of function. with the aging of america the number of people with osteoporosis-related fractures will increase exponentially. the pain suffering and overall impact on health and economic costs will be enormous.
why is osteoporosis an important public health issue?