ACR 2022 Tweet by Catherine Sims, MD

Currently, fewer than half of patients diagnosed with osteoporosis receive appropriate pharmacologic therapy. This treatment gap reflects several challenges in osteoporosis management, including limited disease awareness, barriers to medication access, clinician discomfort with therapy selection, and uncertainty regarding the optimal timing of treatment initiation.

The July 16th edition of JAMA reviews the highly prevalent problem of hip fractures - a major global health burden: 14.2 million occur worldwide annually (280,000 in the US), with global incidence higher in women (833.9/100,000) than men (510.0/100,000). Lifetime risk at age 50 is 22.9% for women, 10.7% for men. Mortality is substantial.

Betsy Kirchner, DNP, shares practical tips for managing metabolic bone disease, including the importance of VFA imaging to catch asymptomatic vertebral fractures and utilizing fracture liaison services to close care gaps. She highlights key pearls like the doubled fracture risk in RA patients, ACR's risk stratification for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, and a simple FRAX adjustment calculation that can improve treatment decisions.