World Osteoporosis Day – WOD, marked on October 20th each year, is year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal disease.

It aims to put bone health and fracture prevention on the global health agenda and reaches out to health-care professionals, the media, policy makers, patients, and the public at large.

Some Facts About Osteoporosis:

• By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fracture in men is projected to increase by 310% and by 240% in women.
• Osteoporosis accounts for more days in the hospital than breast cancer, heart attack, diabetes & other diseases.
• Loss of independence after a hip fracture, approximately 60% require assistance a year later and 20% will require long-term nursing care.
• Fracture risk up to 27% higher than prostate cancer risk.
• Aged 50+ 1/3 women 1/5 men: will suffer an osteoporotic fracture worldwide.

Knowing your risk factors

Take the IOF One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test to find out whether you may have specific factors which place you at higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

www.iofbonehealth.org/iof-one-minute-osteoporosis-risk-test

EffRx commitment to bone health:

Although a small-scale company, EffRx’s employees have made personal efforts to make some noise on behalf of the WOD. Each employee has asked relatives, friends and acquaintances throughout October to support the IOF Global Patient Charter (https://www.iofbonehealth.org/iof-global-patient-charter)

Additionally, in honor of World Osteoporosis Day, EffRx organized a company bone-healthy-brunch on October 16^th. Although bone-healthy nutrition is important – particularly to build maximum peak bone mass in adolescents -, drug therapies are critical for fracture prevention in people at high risk of fracture. Today, there are many proven and effective treatments which have been shown to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture by between 30–50%.