Der Unfallchirurg
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Osteoporosis is a common disease that affects both women and men. Due to a reduced bone mineral density and increasing age, the risk for atraumatic fractures increases. These fractures cause pain due to the fracture itself and also have far-reaching sequelae in nearly all areas of life of patients. ⋯ The effects of osteoporosis and fractures are multifactorial and often severe for the patient. The measures for prevention of osteoporotic fractures should be consistently implemented in the daily clinical routine and the necessary diagnostics and treatment should be rapidly initiated.
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Despite the high incidence of osteoporosis, the high risk of subsequent fractures after an initial fracture and effective treatment options, there is a substantial deficit in the diagnostics and treatment of patients suffering from osteoporosis in Germany and worldwide. The reasons for this are multifactorial and can be attributed to physicians and patients as well as mismanagement inherent to the system. This article provides an overview of the challenges in the treatment of osteoporosis patients and shows the possibilities for improvement of care in the outpatient area. With respect to the exact schedule of the diagnostics and treatment of osteoporosis, reference is made to the pocket-sized edition of the current guidelines of the Governing Body Osteology (DVO).