Taipei, November 15, 2014 - An epidemiological study presented today at the 5th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting is one of the first to project the immense and growing economic cost of osteoporotic fractures in China.
The study, by investigators from the University of Tasmania, Anhui Medical University and Nanjing Medical University, used decision analytic modelling to estimate the burden of osteoporotic fractures. The researchers estimated that in 2010 more than 2.3 million osteoporosis-related hip, clinical vertebral and wrist fractures occurred in the population aged 50 years and over, costing the Chinese healthcare system US$9.61 billion. Women sustained approximately three times more fractures than males, accounting for 73 % of the total costs.
Even more alarming is the fact that the high costs of osteoporosis-related fractures will greatly increase in the future, representing an enormous socio-economic burden in China.
According to a recent International Osteoporosis Foundation Asia-Pacific Audit Report, almost half (49%) of the total population in China will be aged 50 years and over by 2050, and 263 million seniors will be aged 70 years and over - the population group most at risk of costly and disabling hip fractures. Reflecting this expected increase in the ageing population, the researchers project that the annual incidence and costs of osteoporotic fractures will double by 2035. By 2050 the number of fractures is expected to increase to 5.93 million resulting in costs of approximately US$25.58 billion.
As a result there is an urgent need for healthcare resource planning as well as cost-effective screening and intervention policies to minimize the future socio-economic impact of fractures on the Chinese healthcare system.
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The cost-effectiveness model used in the research study 'Projection of incidence and economic burden of osteoporosis-related fractures in China: 2010-2050' was presented at the 5th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting, with the complete paper to be published soon in an upcoming issue of the scientific journal 'Osteoporosis International'.
IOF Regionals 5th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting
The 5th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting is being held in Taipei from November 14-16, 2014. Organized in cooperation with national and regional societies, the IOF Regionals have been a key educational and research forum in the Asia-Pacific region since 2010. Past Meetings have been held in Hong Kong CN, Kuala Lumpur, Australia, and Singapore. The 6th IOF Regionals Asia-Pacific Meeting is planned in Singapore in November 2016.
Information about these and other IOF congresses and training courses is available at http://www.iofbonehealth.org/upcoming-events
About IOF
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including committees of scientific researchers, leading companies, as well as more than 200 patient, medical and research societies, work together to make bone, joint and muscle health a worldwide heath care priority. http://www.iofbonehealth.org / http://www.facebook.com/iofbonehealth / https://twitter.com/iofbonehealth
Journal
Osteoporosis International