Bones are the living tissue which gives our body its structure. Musculoskeletal system allows movement. Vital organs in our body are given adequate protection from external injuries by a healthy skeleton. But without proper care, these bones become weak, which leads to osteoporosis. Further weakening of the bones results in fractures, which are called fragility fractures. Bone breaking causes severe pain and inability to move the affected pacts. Thus, daily activities become extremely difficult. It was in 1996 that the National Osteoporosis Society of the UK and European Commission jointly decided to observe October 20 as World Osteoporosis Day (WOD). From 1997 onwards, International Osteoporosis Foundation is organising various activities in relation to World Osteoporosis Day (WOD). From 1998-99 onwards, WHO became a co-sponsor for their programmes. The burden of osteoporosis in the UK is manifested by over 2,30,000 fractures per year. The annual cost is 1.7 billion pounds. Fractures carry a risk of death - approximately 20 per cent of patients with hip fractures within a year - and a very high risk of morbidity, particularly for patients with hip and vertebral fractures. The studies in the US revealed that annual cost for the treatment expenses for osteoporosis is similar to that of cardiovascular disease. Osteoporosis was officially recognised as a disease by World Health Organisation (WHO) in the year 1994. One out of two women and one out of four men suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in their life time. It’s now possible to offer various preventive and treatment options which have been proven to reduce the risk of fractures. There are increasing numbers of novel powerful treatment options and formulations which have been proven to reduce the risk of fractures. There is, therefore, now little excuse for failing to detect and manage osteoporosis. Since the main burden of osteoporosis is seen in the community, general practitioners / primary care physicians now have a leading role in identifying potential causes. Patients too have a responsibility to play an active role of their own. This requires a full understanding of many facts of management. For attaining their goals, a massive awareness campaign is a must. So, in the initial years, ‘awareness’ was considered as the main theme topic of World Osteoporosis Day. By 1999, ‘Early detection’ became the theme topic of WOD. Clinical suspicions should be there when an individual presents with unexplained back pains, joint pains or fragility fracture. Vertebrae are the common sites of osteoporosis fractures. Many elderly women go undetected with back pain. Which is actually due to spiral fracture. So this theme topic helped a lot in spreading information on the symptoms and signs of spiral fracture among the public. Lab investigation should be done to rule out other conditions. Bone Mineral Density estimation is the diagnostic procedure for osteoporosis detection. Many methods are available. DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) is considered as gold standard. In the year 2000, the theme topic was ‘Invest in your bone’. By 2001, the theme topic was ‘Youth and osteoporosis’. In the subsequent years, the following topics were considered as WOD theme topics - ‘Preventing a first fracture’ (2002), ‘Quality of life’ (2003), ‘Men and osteoporosis’ (2004), ‘Exercise’ (2005), ‘Nutrition’ (2006) and ‘Risk factors’ (2007). To enhance these programmes on a larger scale, in 2008 and 2009 the WOD theme was ‘Advocating for policy change’. In 2010, the WOD theme was ‘Symptoms and signs of spinal fractures.’In 2011, the WOD theme is ‘C, D, E’, which denotes - Calcium,Vitamin D and exercise. The 2011 WOD animation says, ‘Love Your Bones’. Importance is being given to nutritious diet, regular exercise and Vitamin D intake. Sunlight exposure in an adequate manner to ensure Vitamin D intake is also advocated. This year’s campaign spreads the message: ‘Join the unbreakable embrace campaign’.Dr Shabeer M SDept. of Orthopaedics,ESI Hospital,Ezhukone, Kollam
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