Management of osteoporosis in women with peripheral osteoporotic fractures after 50 years of age:: a study of practices

Objective. - To evaluate practices regarding the management of osteoporosis revealed by low-impact peripheral fractures in women older than 50 years of age. Methods. - Six orthopedic surgeons prospectively recruited patients presenting with their first low-impact peripheral fracture. Three months after the fracture, each patient's usual primary-care physician provided information on management. Results. - The 132 patients (140 fractures) included in the study had a mean age of 73.8 years. Fracture sites in decreasing order of frequency were the wrist (29%), the hip (28%), the ankle (19%), the pelvis, the humerus, and the leg. Data on management by the primary-care physician were available for 106 patients. Fifty patients (50/106, 47%) were given a diagnosis of osteoporosis by their primary-care physician and 38 (38/106, 35%) received medications for osteoporosis. Conclusion. - In two-thirds of patients, a valuable opportunity for using the effective treatments available for osteoporosis was lost. Given the high risk of further fractures in this population, our finding is of great concern. (C) 2003 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.