Aligarh: ‘More than 200 million people worldwide, and approximately 50 million people in India, are suffering from osteoporosis, and by 2050, every second osteoporotic fracture will happen in Asia’ said Dr. Hamid Ashraf, Director, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College at Aligarh Muslim University.

He was delivering a talk on postmenopausal osteoporosis at a programme organized by the Aligarh Menopause Society.

Dr. Ashraf stressed the need to spread awareness of postmenopausal and senile osteoporosis, its symptoms, prevention, and the need for a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet with regular exercise. A woman's risk of developing osteoporotic hip fracture is equal to the combined risk of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer, he added.

He stated that osteoporosis is a silent killer and patients with osteoporotic fractures have a high rate of morbidity and mortality. About 20-30% of patients with hip fractures die within one year, and the mortality rate at 5 years is more than 50%.

He discussed the risk factors for fractures including age, menopause, drugs such as glucocorticoids, antiepileptic drugs, genetic factors, calcium and vitamin D deficiency, hypogonadism, diabetes, and malabsorption syndromes. He said different diagnostic modalities can be used to diagnose osteoporosis, including a DEXA scan.

He also spoke about pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of preventing osteoporotic fractures.