ASHP Releases New Statement On Screening And Treatment For Osteoporosis
The ASHP Therapeutic Position Statement on the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Adults appears in the Feb. 15, 2008, issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (Am J Health-Syst Pharm 2007 65:1-38). Lead author Eric J. MacLaughlin, Pharm.D., BCPS, said the statement is important because it shows how osteoporosis remains significantly under-diagnosed and under-treated in adults despite the wide availability of treatments. "Osteoporosis-related fractures can be devastating for both patients and caregivers," he said. "I'm hoping there will be improvements in care for patients with the disease and those at risk for it."
ASHP believes that pharmacists can play a pivotal role in decreasing the morbidity and mortality of the disease, which is described in the statement as a major public health problem in the United States. Approximately 44 million men and women over 50 years old have either osteoporosis or low bone mineral density, and that total could rise to over 61 million by 2020.
The statement features new evidence from recently published studies that shows how drug therapies, including those that require less frequent dosing schedules, improve outcomes for patients with osteoporosis. For example, the HORIZON Recurrent Fracture Study found that once-yearly treatment with an intravenous bisphosphonate for patients with a previous hip fracture reduced the risk of new fractures by 27 to 46 percent, depending on the site of fracture.
The statement also points to recently published studies that validate tools for assessing the risk of osteoporosis in men and women. One such tool is the Male Osteoporosis Risk Estimation Score, which identifies men 60 years old or older at risk for osteoporosis.
The statement also notes "enormous" economic consequences from osteoporotic fractures, most recently estimated at $18 billion annually.
Accompanying the statement in AJHP is an editorial by Laura B. Hansen, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS, associate professor of clinical pharmacy and family medicine at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado, Denver. Pharmacists have a tremendous opportunity to bridge the gap between the evidence and the practice of preventing and treating osteoporosis by helping patients comply and persist with osteoporosis therapy, according to the editorial.
The statement's authors are MacLaughlin, associate professor and division head of adult medicine, and Cynthia L. Raehl, Pharm.D., FASHP, professor and chair of clinical research and development, at the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, Amarillo.
To view the statement, click here. Enter "ashppr" when prompted for a username and password.
About ASHP
For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, http://www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
ASHP versiuni noi de pe declaraþie de screening ºi tratament pentru osteoporoza - ASHP Releases New Statement On Screening And Treatment For Osteoporosis - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate