What is it about?
People at high risk of fracture who also have complex or multiple chronic medical conditions are less likely to receive treatment for the underlying osteoporosis and also have poorer health outcomes. These patients have an increased risk of further fractures, but they are less likely to have the underlying cause of the fracture investigated, compared with those at high risk but who have no additional chronic conditions.
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Why is it important?
People with complex diseases not only fare worse, but they are less likely to receive treatment, which is a double whammy. We think this is because fractures are viewed as less serious than other medical conditions present in patients, and thus not the focus of intervention. But fracture itself will affect quality of life and contributes to mortality.
Perspectives
This article highlighted the dangers of not addressing fracture prevention in sicker people who have multiple chronic conditions. We hope that these findings will raise awareness of the importance of including multimorbidity in the clinical guidelines of fracture prevention.
Dana Bliuc
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The association between multimorbidity and osteoporosis investigation and treatment in high-risk fracture patients in Australia: A prospective cohort study, PLoS Medicine, January 2023, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004142.
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