Make osteoporosis a health priority, gov't urged

The Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation Inc. (OSPFI), in coordination with Roche Philippines, Inc., urged the national government to make osteoporosis a health priority.

In a recent press conference aimed to raise awareness on the disease, Dr. Julie Li-Yu, OSPFI treasurer, stressed the impact of osteoporosis in the country. 

Using the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), Li-Yu reported that 21 in 50 adults aged 60 and above are at a high risk of being afflicted with the silent but deadly disease.

Li-Yu also revealed that many health maintenance organizations in the Philippines were unable to reimburse bone density test cost of the elderly.

“According to HMOs, it (bone deterioration) is a natural process of aging. That’s our contention. We know that this is not a natural process of aging,” she said.

She added that OSPFI is recommending the inclusion of measuring bone density in healthcare packages of the elderly as strategy for osteoporosis prevention.

For his part, Dr. Miles Francis de la Rosa, OSPFI board member, said the disease that hinders healthy aging reduces the density and quality of the bones.

“As the bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively,” he said.

In his lecture, De la Rosa also discussed the prevalence of hip fracture in the Philippines. He disclosed that hip fractures are more prevalent in females when they reach the age of 80.

In addition, he said, it affects seven times more females than males in the same age group. The occurrence of the fracture progresses steadily from age 60 to 80 but this scenario is seen among women.

De la Rosa also emphasized the International Osteoporosis Foundation’s campaign dubbed “Stand Tall, Speak Out for Your Bones” as a timely program for osteoporosis. This two-year program aims to generate change in osteoporosis healthcare policies.

Apart from the osteoporosis updates, an exercise called “Banat Buto” was performed and presented to the members of the press. “Banat Buto’’ is a 15-minute video exercise designed to maintain general body conditioning in the workplace.

The exercise was a project of the Philippine Council of Bone and Joint Decade in cooperation with the OSPFI, Philippine Orthopedic Association, Philippine Rheumatology Association, Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine and Arthritis Care, and Research Foundation of the Philippines Inc.

The commemoration of this event started when former President Joseph Estrada issued Presidential Proclamation No. 19 declaring the second week of October as National Osteoporosis Awareness Week.

According to studies, osteoporosis awareness in the Philippines remains low, thus the need to recognize it as a healthcare priority as the elderly population continues to grow.