Thousands of over-50s die needlessly each year from ‘silent killer’ for sake of £30m

Giving wider access to specialist fracture clinics would save 8,000 lives over five years and slash an incredible £665million off the NHS outlay for treatment.

Osteoporosis, the fourth biggest cause of premature death and disability, weakens bones to the point they can break easily.

It has been dubbed the “silent disease” because victims often don’t notice it until a bone breaks.

Yet all too often these early warning signs – a broken wrist or ankle – are ignored, with the patient “fixed up and forgotten about”.

Today the Sunday Express launches a campaign for the NHS to offer everyone over 50 who suffers a fracture to be automatically screened for the condition.

We have teamed up with the Royal Osteoporosis Society to call for an extra £30million a year to be ringfenced so patients are checked, advised and put on appropriate and timely treatment.

In addition, we believe a fracture tsar is needed in each nation with a specific brief to deal with preventable fractures.

About 3.5 million people in the UK suffer with the condition, but most are undiagnosed. And while osteoporosis is easily dealt with, it is given far less emphasis than high blood pressure and cholesterol.

The ROS estimates two thirds of patients needing medication are missing out – around 90,000 people every year.

Left undiagnosed or untreated, the condition has a huge impact on quality of life
and makes it far more likely the patient will suffer further breaks, requiring costly and ongoing care. Osteoporosis-related fractures currently cost the NHS £4.5billion each year across the UK.

While younger patients usually make full recoveries from broken bones, for over-50s the outcomes are far more uncertain.

Half of women and a fifth of men in this age bracket will suffer a fracture because of the condition. One in four who suffer a hip fracture dies within a year, and eight in ten will need to use a stick for walking.

Those with spinal fractures can be left in chronic pain and so hunched they are left permanently disabled. But despite these stark figures, the likely causes of osteoporosis are well known. Genetics play a part, as does a sufferer’s lifestyle.

The specialist units, known as Fracture Liaison Services, are dedicated to assess and plan treatment for those at risk of a second fracture. They work with specialist clinicians trained to assess whether a broken bone is caused by osteoporosis.

This could involve a Dexa scan, questions about family history and the use of certain medications that can weaken bones.

Interventions are effective, reducing the risk of a repeat fracture by 40 per cent.

But experts say that without the analysis of these specialist units, patients are often “fixed up and forgotten about”. And their underlying osteoporosis can be undiagnosed or treated, leaving them at high risk of another serious fracture in two years.

The ROS says tens of thousands are missing out as there are not enough specialist units to cover those who could benefit. In England only 57 per cent of patients have access to one, and many of those are poorly resourced.

The impact is also felt demographically, with those on lower-income households suffering a 25 per cent higher risk of fractures due to lifestyle factors like diet.

The ROS wants to see an end to this postcode lottery, with at least 80 per cent of osteoporosis cases diagnosed.

Its research shows a £30million a year commitment to improve quality and coverage of the vital units would save the health service more than £3 for every £1 invested.

The ROS also estimates that nationwide access to properly resourced services would prevent 74,000 fractures over five years, saving the NHS £665million.

This equates to 8,000 lives saved from prevented hip fractures alone.

Craig Jones, ROS chief executive, said: “Fracture Liaison Services are a game changer for our growing older population.

“Tens of thousands of people with osteoporosis suffer avoidable fractures, taking up hospital beds that could be used for other patients. Most people with osteoporosis are undiagnosed, often leading to further fractures, pain, immobility, and preventable loss of life. The NHS spends huge sums managing the consequences of failure, rather than preventing harm in the first place.”

A million acute hospital bed days per year are occupied by hip fracture patients alone. Mr Jones continued: “Today the condition should not be the problem it is, as it can be controlled by highly affordable and effective therapies.

“Yet two thirds of people who need drugs to prevent fractures are missing out.

“Today, there are newer drugs which rebuild bones as well as slowing progression of the condition. Treating more people could make a game-changing difference for older generations, but the health system is overlooking people who need these drugs.

“These fractures are no minor inconvenience. They spoil people’s lives. Hip fractures are ‘heart attack level’ events – 25 per cent of those who have one die in a year.

“The Government is missing an obvious way to protect the lives of older people, particularly women.” He said half of those who have hip fractures could have been flagged as a risk from an earlier event, such as a broken wrist. And other bone injuries, like those to the spine, can often be written off as a bad back, leading to more severe problems down the line.

Mr Jones said: “We think about cholesterol and blood pressure but very few of us think about bone health.

“No one is incentivising NHS trusts to prevent fractures. There are mandates from government and NHS leaders for heart disease prevention, strokes, diabetes and cancer. These are all very worthy causes, but there is nothing on fracture prevention.

“The Government is falling short.”

He continued: “There does not need to be high trauma for a spinal or hip fracture in someone with osteoporosis – coughing or sneezing too hard, or even a hug from grandchildren could be enough.

“Osteoporosis is the fourth highest cause of premature death and disability, yet little has been done about it.

“The scale of the missed opportunity is huge, and we are demanding action.”

Without funding, as well as a top-down mandate and a “Fracture Tsar” to co-ordinate it, the status quo will remain, he said.

The ROS has gained the support of cross-party MPs and peers and is currently making its case to Parliament.

Judith Cummins, chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group on Osteoporosis and Bone Health, is rallying support in the Commons.

The Labour MP for Bradford South said she hoped the call to action would “break down barriers”, adding: “The scale of the problem and the injustice of this is appalling.” She also suggested the condition had slipped “under the radar” as it was seen as “not sexy” and largely a women’s problem.

• Call the ROS helpline: 0808 800 0035

Warning signs for a mum and her daughter

Gwyneth Paltrow and her mother Blythe have been diagnosed with bone issues.

Gwyneth, 50, found out she had osteopenia – early stages of osteoporosis – after fracturing her tibia, prompting her surgeon to give her a bone scan.

She said: “This led doctors in New York to test my Vitamin D levels, which were the lowest they’d ever seen.

“I went on a prescription strength level of Vitamin D and was told to spend a bit of time in the sun!”

Blythe, 80, first spoke of having osteoporosis back in 2011, which was connected to being post-menopausal.