Artigenda
World Osteoporosis Day
When: anually, October 20.
World Osteoporosis Day focuses the attention on osteoporosis worldwide. This yearly organized day is an initiative of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). This day is not only here to raise awareness. It’s also a day to inform people about osteoporosis and closely related conditions. The day takes place on 20 October every year.
Origin
The day is an infinitive of the UK’s National Osteoporosis Society. This society came up with the idea of introducing the day on 20 October 1996. At that time, the UK still belonged to the European Union, so the European Commission decided to support the day from 1997. The same was true for the IOF. The World Health Organisation WHO then decided to sponsor the day in the following two years. In doing so, it not only wanted to raise awareness for osteoporosis. It also wanted to raise awareness for metabolic bone diseases.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis occurs when there is a decrease in bone mass and disruption of the bone matrix. This causes bone density to be lowered. Bone density is also known as bone mineral density, which is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue. This determines or indicates how brittle a bone is. Everyone knows: that weaker bones create risks. Risks of bone fractures. Osteoporosis, this involves bone fractures of the spine, hip, wrist, upper arm and pelvis. The older the person, the greater the risk. The condition is more common in women than in men.
Website
This day focuses on the condition and treatment methods. Timely diagnosis also takes centre stage. Information can be found on the World Osteoporosis Day website.
