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“Osteoporosis...it matters”
2006 Awareness and
Prevention Month Campaign from the
National Osteoporosis
Foundation
May 1, 2006 (Washington,
DC) – The National Osteoporosis
Foundation (NOF), through its Awareness
and Prevention Month campaign entitled,
“Osteoporosis...it matters”, is
encouraging individuals to speak with
their healthcare professional about
osteoporosis and providing critical
communication tips and sample questions
to consumers that will help them prepare
for their next healthcare appointment.
“NOF’s campaign
underscores the fact that osteoporosis
is, in fact, potentially relevant to
Americans of all ages and backgrounds.
Osteoporosis, which literally means
“porous bones” is a disease in which
bones become more fragile and likely to
break, even from a slight strain or
fall. These useful tools will help
educate all the players – patients,
caregivers and healthcare providers –
about osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis
and the follow-up treatment of fractures
related to this very serious disease,”
said Ethel S. Siris, MD, President of NOF, Professor of
Clinical Medicine, College of Physicians
and Surgeons, Columbia University and
Director of the Toni Stabile
Osteoporosis Center of the New
York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Osteoporosis matters
because according to NOF data, in the
U.S. today, there are 44 million
American women and men age 50 and older
with osteoporosis or low bone density,
and that number is expected to rise to
more than 61 million by 2020, unless
action is taken now.
“NOF’s Osteoporosis
Awareness and Prevention Month campaign
posters, brochures and other educational
materials – distributed to its
grassroots network of hundreds of
healthcare professionals, consumers, NOF
support groups and grassroots
organizations across the country –
conveys clearly and convincingly why and
how they should be proactive in
addressing this largely preventable and
treatable disease,” said Judith
Cranford, NOF Executive Director.
No single physician
specialty is dedicated to osteoporosis.
However, a variety of medical
specialists treat people with
osteoporosis, including
endocrinologists, family physicians,
gynecologists, internists, orthopedists,
physiatrists and rheumatologists.
NOF’s Web site,
www.nof.org, lists key questions and
offers informative brochures that are
intended to assist individuals – young
adults, those at midlife and older
adults -- to discuss good bone health
throughout their lifespan with their
healthcare professional. The site also
suggests a series of questions consumers
may want to pose if they currently have
osteoporosis or if their healthcare
provider believes they are at high risk
for the disease.
Established in 1984, the
National Osteoporosis Foundation is the
nation’s leading voluntary health
organization solely dedicated to
osteoporosis and bone health. Our
mission is to prevent osteoporosis, to
promote lifelong bone health, to help
improve the lives of those affected by
osteoporosis and related fractures, and
to find a cure. For more information on
osteoporosis and bone health, contact
NOF online at
www.nof.org
or by telephone (800) 223-9994.
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