Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Memory ; drug effects ; Menopause ; drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether physicians' practice was adequate for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in patients with proximal humeral fracture over the age of 50 years, which is one of major osteoporotic fractures. METHODS: A retrospective nation-wide cohort study was performed using data collected in 2010 by the Korean Health Insurance Review Agency. The incidences of fractures around the hip, spine, and proximal humerus in patients more than 50 years of age, the frequencies of diagnostic bone density scan for osteoporosis, and the prescription for the osteoporosis medication were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: A search of database identified 48,351 hip fractures, 141,208 spine fractures, and 11,609 proximal humeral fractures in patients more than 50 years of age in 2010. Among these patients, 12,097 (25.0%) of hip fractures, 41,962 (29.7%) of spine fractures, and 1,458 (12.6%) of proximal humeral fractures underwent diagnostic bone density scan (p < 0.001); 4,773 (9.9%) of hip fractures, 27,261 (19.3%) of spine fractures, and 639 (5.5%) of proximal humeral fractures were managed with at least one medication approved for the treatment of osteoporosis (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 1,217 (2.5%) of hip fractures, 7,271 (5.2%) of spine fractures, and 188 (1.6%) of proximal humeral fractures received diagnostic bone density scans as well as osteoporosis medications (p < 0.001). Younger patients (50–69 years of age) were less likely to be evaluated and managed for osteoporosis relative to older patients (≥ 70 years of age) (p < 0.001); and men were less likely to be evaluated and managed for osteoporosis relative to women (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Current physicians' practice pattern may be inadequate for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in patients of proximal humeral fractures over the age of 50 years. Additional study and educational programs are necessary to improve this care gap, beginning with physicians who are responsible for the fracture treatment and shoulder diseases.
Aged ; Bone Density ; Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Osteoporosis/complications/diagnosis/drug therapy/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder Fractures/*complications/*epidemiology

Animals ; Bone Density ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Ovariectomy ; Phytotherapy

Aged ; Bone Density Conservation Agents ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Organometallic Compounds ; adverse effects ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; drug therapy ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Thiophenes ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between fracture risk and levothyroxine use in elderly women with hypothyroidism, according to previous osteoporosis history. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims database from January 2005 to June 2006. The study population comprised women aged > or =65 years who had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and prescribed levothyroxine monotherapy. We excluded patients who met any of the following criteria: previous fracture history, hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, or pituitary disorder; low levothyroxine adherence; or a follow-up period <90 days. We categorized the daily levothyroxine doses into 4 groups: < or =50 microg/d, 51 to 100 microg/d, 101 to 150 microg/d, and >150 microg/d. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with the Cox proportional hazard model, and subgroup analyses were performed according to the osteoporosis history and osteoporosis-specific drug prescription status. RESULTS: Among 11 155 cohort participants, 35.6% had previous histories of osteoporosis. The adjusted HR of fracture for the >150 microg/d group, compared with the 51 to 100 microg/d group, was 1.56 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.37) in osteoporosis subgroup. In the highly probable osteoporosis subgroup, restricted to patients who were concurrently prescribed osteoporosis-specific drugs, the adjusted HR of fracture for the >150 microg/d group, compared with the 51 to 100 microg/d group, was 1.93 (95% CI, 1.14 to 3.26). CONCLUSIONS: While further studies are needed, physicians should be concerned about potential levothyroxine overtreatment in elderly osteoporosis patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cohort Studies ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Fractures, Bone/*prevention & control ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Insurance Claim Review ; Medication Adherence ; Osteoporosis/*pathology ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Assessment ; Thyroxine/*therapeutic use ; Time Factors

Due to advances in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer, many women survive long after treatment, and therefore express concerns about the impact of estrogen deficiency on their quality of life. Cancer treatment can induce menopause through surgical removal of the ovaries, chemotherapy, or radiation. Women who undergo induced menopause usually experience more sudden and severe menopausal symptoms, including vasomotor symptoms, psychological symptoms, genitourinary symptoms, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is especially important in women younger than 40. In this review, we consider the role of MHT after the diagnosis of breast, gynecologic, colorectal, stomach, liver, lung, and hematologic cancers. MHT is advantageous in endometrial cancer type I, cervical squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and hematologic malignancies. However, MHT is not recommended for use in breast cancer, endometrial stromal sarcoma, hormone receptor–positive gastric cancer, and lung cancer survivors because it is linked to an increased risk of cancer recurrence. Depending on the type of cancer, clinicians should recommend that cancer survivors receive appropriate MHT in order to reduce vasomotor symptoms and to benefit from its positive effects on the cardiovascular and skeletal systems.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Estrogens ; Female ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Menopause ; Osteoporosis ; Ovary ; Quality of Life ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survivors

Bisphosphonates are potent inhibitors of bone resorption and widely used to treat osteoporosis. Extensive studies have shown that therapy with bisphosphonates improves bone density and decreases fracture risk. However, concerns have been raised about potential over-suppression of bone turnover during long-term use of bisphosphonates, resulting in increased susceptibility to and delayed healing of non-spinal fractures. We report a patient who sustained non-traumatic stress fractures in bilateral femoral shafts with delayed healing after long-term bisphosphonate therapy. She underwent open reduction and surgical internal fixation. Although bisphosphonates effectively prevent vertebral fractures, and their safety has been tested in randomized trials, we must emphasize the need for awareness of the possibility that long-term suppression of bone turnover with bisphosphonates may eventually lead to an accumulation of fatigue-induced damage and adverse skeletal effects such as delayed fracture healing.
Bone Density/drug effects ; Diaphyses/drug effects/injuries ; Diphosphonates/*adverse effects ; Female ; Femoral Fractures/*chemically induced/diagnosis/surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fracture Healing/drug effects ; Fractures, Spontaneous/*chemically induced/diagnosis/surgery ; Fractures, Stress/*chemically induced/diagnosis/surgery ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/*drug therapy ; Radiopharmaceuticals/diagnostic use ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate/analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Whole Body Imaging

Through retrospective Jeju-cohort study at 2005, we found low rates of detection of osteoporosis (20.1%) and medication for osteoporosis (15.5%) in those who experienced hip fracture. This study was to determine the orthopedic surgeons' awareness could increase the osteoporosis treatment rate after a hip fracture and the patient barriers to osteoporosis management. We prospectively followed 208 patients older than 50 yr who were enrolled for hip fractures during 2007 in Jeju-cohort. Thirty four fractures in men and 174 in women were treated at the eight hospitals. During the study period, orthopedic surgeons who worked at these hospitals attended two education sessions and were provided with posters and brochures. Patients were interviewed 6 months after discharge using an evaluation questionnaire regarding their perceptions of barriers to osteoporosis treatment. The patients were followed for a minimum of one year. Ninety-four patients (45.2%) underwent detection of osteoporosis by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and 67 (32.2%) were prescribed medication for osteoporosis at the time of discharge. According to the questionnaire, the most common barrier to treatment for osteoporosis after a hip fracture was patients reluctance. The detection and medication rate for osteoporosis after hip fracture increased twofold after orthopedic surgeons had attended the intervention program. Nevertheless, the osteoporosis treatment rate remains inadequate.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Clinical Competence ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Hip Fractures/*surgery/therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orthopedic Procedures ; Orthopedics/*education ; Osteoporosis/*diagnosis/*drug therapy/therapy ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; *Physician's Practice Patterns ; Prospective Studies ; Questionnaires ; Withholding Treatment

PURPOSE: Up to 71% of South Korean postmenopausal women have vitamin D deficiency {serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] level <50 nmol/L}. Data on vitamin D supplementation was collected during the screening phase of an efficacy/safety study of denosumab in Korean postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. This report describes the effect of vitamin D supplementation on repletion to 25(OH)D levels ≥50 nmol/L in Korean postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vitamin D levels of Korean postmenopausal women (60-90 years old) were measured by extracting 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 from serum samples via protein precipitation and using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. Calibration curves were constructed from the mass chromatograms to obtain total vitamin D levels. Subjects with serum 25(OH)D levels <50 nmol/L were supplemented with 1000 IU of vitamin D tablets during the 2.5-month-long screening period. Dose, frequency, and duration were determined by the investigator. If repletion was achieved (≥50 nmol/L) on retest, subjects were eligible to be rescreened for study entry. RESULTS: Of 371 subjects screened, 191 (52%) required vitamin D supplementation, and 88% (168 of 191) were successfully repleted. More than half of the subjects (58%) who were successfully repleted received doses of 2000 IU daily. The mean time to successful repletion was 31 days (standard deviation 8.4 days; range 11-48 days). CONCLUSION: Supplementation with daily median doses of 2000 IU vitamin D successfully repleted 88% of Korean postmenopausal women with osteoporosis within 48 days to a serum vitamin D level of 50 nmol/L.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Density Conservation Agents/*therapeutic use ; *Dietary Supplements ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/*complications/drug therapy/ethnology ; Postmenopause/blood ; Republic of Korea ; Vitamin D/analogs & derivatives/blood/*therapeutic use ; Vitamin D Deficiency/diagnosis/*drug therapy/ethnology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated differences in identifying candidates for antiosteoporotic treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients according to two available clinical guidelines. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 100 female patients aged 50 years or older with RA who visited Hanyang University Hospital for periodic examinations between April 2011 and August 2011. We applied the glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) recommendations and the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) guidelines to RA patients and examined agreement between the guidelines for identifying candidates for antiosteoporotic treatment. We also analyzed the impact of screening vertebral fractures (VFs) in determining the treatment of osteoporosis in RA patients. RESULTS: The 57 patients taking glucocorticoids were classified into high-risk (n = 23), medium-risk (n = 16), and low-risk (n = 18) groups according to the GIOP recommendations. Based on the NOF guidelines, 36 of 57 patients were candidates for antiosteoporotic treatment and the agreement between two guidelines was high (kappa = 0.76). Two of the 18 patients in the low-risk group and 19 of 43 patients not eligible per the GIOP recommendations were classified as candidates for antiosteoporotic treatment by the NOF guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: In determining antiosteoporotic treatment for RA patients, using only the GIOP recommendations is insufficient. Application of the NOF guidelines in patients not eligible for or classified into the low-risk group per the GIOP recommendations and screening for VFs may be helpful in deciding on antiosteoporotic treatment in RA patients.
Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Bone Density Conservation Agents/*therapeutic use ; *Decision Support Techniques ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*adverse effects ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/*chemically induced/diagnosis/*prevention & control ; Osteoporotic Fractures/chemically induced/prevention & control ; Patient Selection ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Spinal Fractures/chemically induced/prevention & control