Reducing The Impact Of Osteoporotic Fractures

EDM number 1973 in 2007-08, proposed by John Austin on 07/07/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Health education and preventive medicine and Health services.

That this House welcomes the National Osteoporosis Society's call for the Government to ensure that every person who suffers a fragility fracture (i.e. at the wrist, hip or spine) in England is given a fracture risk assessment as a matter of course; notes that such a measure would help to ensure that a greater proportion of those at risk of possible life threatening fractures are identified, in turn helping to reduce the number of tragic and unnecessary deaths caused by osteoporotic fractures every year; further notes that 70,000 hip fractures occur each year in the UK, almost all of which are due to osteoporosis; is alarmed that, every month, hip fractures result in the deaths of 1,150 people; recognises that the total annual cost of hip fractures to the UK health and social care system amounts to £1.73 billion, which is broadly similar to the sum spent treating coronary heart disease; is concerned that less than one third of patients who have sustained a low trauma fracture are referred for a diagnostic Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan; and welcomes the development of FRAX, an online resource for health professionals to use in evaluating the fracture risk of patients, which works by integrating clinical risk factors such as age, weight, height and family fracture history alongside bone mineral density data, as measured by a DXA scan.

This motion has been signed by a total of 59 MPs.