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19 Oct 2021 |
World Osteoporosis Day 2021: Elderly women are urged to undergo osteoporosis testing
Take Action for Bone Health” is the theme of the World Osteoporosis Day this year held on 20 October 2021. The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (FPAHK) appeals to elderly women aged 65 and older to get tested for osteoporosis and encourages those at high or very high risk for osteoporotic fracture to receive drug treatment.
The Community Chest of Hong Kong sponsored the “Every Bone Counts” program of the FPAHK between May 2017 and April 2020 to provide clinical assessment and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA bone densitometry test) to 1,800 local elderly women aged 65 and above. Among the participants, 15.9% had normal bone density, 33.2% were osteopenic and were at low risk of fracture, 27.2% were osteopenic and were at high risk of fracture, and 23.7% were osteoporotic. Their mean age was 69.4 years old and 6.3% had already had one or more fragility fractures after menopause. Those with low Body Mass Index (BMI) and had history of fragility fracture were at risk for osteoporosis.
According to the local guideline, those with osteoporosis and those with osteopenia and were at high risk of fracture should be treated. Among the participants, 916 needed drug treatment. They were significantly older (aged 70 years and older), menopaused at age 45 years or earlier, had a parent with hip fracture, had fragility fractures after menopause and had BMI lower than18.5kg/m2.
The article on the results of this project was published in the medical journal Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia in September 2021 at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afos.2021.09.001.
For information on FPAHK’s services, please visit www.famplan.org.hk/en or call 2572-2222.