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Osteoporosis and Mortality
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
Dr. Raisz [1] states wittily that we are in the midst of an osteoporosis revolution. As an internist, I have to admit with shame that until recently I did not address this problem on a routine basis. Since I started screening patients for osteoporosis, I have identified about 10 to 15 osteoporotic patients a week. I have begun a crusade against osteoporosis in my primary care clinic. Nurses are required to measure the height of every patient older than 50 years of age, and a protocol to monitor patients receiving Fosamax (Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) was introduced. I think that osteoporosis is one of the most common diseases in the primary care setting; unfortunately, it is also the most neglected. Raisz contributes to the osteoporosis battle but regrettably says that unlike heart disease and cancer, osteoporosis is not fatal. Osteoporosis is a potentially fatal disease, and sending this message to the health care policymakers is crucial. Osteoporosis not only affects quality of life but claims lives. In the United States, 250 000 hip fractures annually are attributable to osteoporosis, resulting in a 10% to 20% mortality rate over the subsequent 6 months [2]. This means that osteoporotic fractures pose a lifetime risk for death similar to that of breast cancer [3]. Merck & Co., Inc., uses these data to advertise Fosamax. We should use these dramatic statistics to convince health care policymakers to allocate funds to the treatment of osteoporosis. Medicare covers dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements already. The next step is to get coverage for antiresorptive agents. Not many elderly osteoporotic patients can afford the $700 that a 1-year supply of Fosamax currently costs.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
