Epidemiologia dell’osteoporosi post-menopausale nel mondo e in Italia

[Autom. eng. transl.] Osteoporosis is a multifactorial condition, to whose pathogenesis constitutional, genetic and environmental factors contribute, characterized by reduced bone mass and qualitative alterations of the micro-architecture of the bone that accompany an increased risk of fractures. The fracture of the femur is recognized as the most significant complication of osteoporosis, as it is the cause of greater disability and higher health costs than other osteoporotic fractures. Furthermore it has been calculated that the risk of suffering a femur fracture for a woman is higher than that of getting breast, uterine or ovarian cancer. According to WHO data, osteoporosis affects more than 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. In the United States and the European Union about 30% of post-menopausal women have osteoporosis and it is estimated that more than 40% will have a fracture during the rest of their lives. The size of the osteoporosis phenomenon in Italy was mainly investigated by the ESOPO study (Epidemiological Study On the Prevalence of Osteoporosis), conducted in the year 2000, whose results revealed a figure of prevalence of osteoporosis of 22.8% of women aged 40-79, and almost 50%, considering only women over the age of 70. It is therefore estimated that there are about 4 million osteoporotic women in Italy. Furthermore, every year in Italy there are about 70,000 women hospitalized for femur fractures and from 2000 to 2005 the incidence of femur fractures increased by 28% in the female population over 74 years. Osteoporosis is therefore to be considered as an emerging condition in our country and in general throughout Europe, due to the progressive and constant aging of the population.