TEHRAN -- In Iran, 7 in 10 women and 5 in 10 men over the age of 50 are suffering from osteoporosis, health ministry official Alireza Mahdavi announced on Thursday.

He made the remarks on threshold of World Osteoporosis Day (WOD), which is annually celebrated on October 20.

According to studies, on average, 1 in 3 women as well as 1 in 5 men aged over 50 worldwide are suffering from osteoporotic fractures.
 
Iran has the highest incidence rate of rheumatic disease in Asia, the official said.

Planning for prevention and reduction of musculoskeletal disorders is one of the main projects of the health ministry’s center for non-communicable disease control, he added.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs.

Organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) every year, World Osteoporosis Day involves campaigns by national osteoporosis patient societies from around the world with activities in over 90 countries. Events and campaigns take place throughout the months leading up to and following WOD.

According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds.

Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide - approximately one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90.

SB/MG