Osteoporosis Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Featuring Dr. Vivien Brown, MDCM, FCFP, NCMP, Family Physician
, Osteoporosis, Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Duration: 2 minutes, 6 seconds

When we talk about osteoporosis, we are really looking at your risk for fracture.

According to Osteoporosis Canada, if you are a low risk person it means your fracture risk in the next 10 years is under 10%. A moderate risk person has a fracture risk between 10 and 20%, and a high risk person has a fracture risk over 20%.

The risk of fracture is the serious event in osteoporosis, because fractures cause tremendous disability for patients. For example, if a women has a hip fracture, she has a one in five, or approximately 23% chance, of dying within the next couple of years.

Fractures lead to morbidity, which really reflects disability but they also lead to mortality. We know that when women and men have fractures they’re more likely to end up not being able to live independently. They’re more likely to end up in a nursing home.

And one of the dangers of fractures is that fractures are a predictor for another fracture. If you have a fracture of your back, for example, you’re more likely to have another fracture of your back, by about 40%. So it’s so important to prevent that very first fracture to keep you strong, to keep you upright, to keep you healthy.

In order to do a risk assessment for osteoporosis to assess your risk for fracture, it’s a good idea to see your family doctor to look at information on osteoporosis, which comes from Osteoporosis Canada, and evaluate your personal risk.

So, that you can decide with your primary care practitioner if you need medication to reduce your risk for fracture, so that you can live a long and active life and not be disabled.

https://www.healthchoicesfirst.com/practitioner/dr-vivien-brown-family-doctor-toronto-on

Presenter: Dr. Vivien Brown, Family Doctor, Toronto, ON

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor