Introduction
The incidence of osteoporotic fracture in New Zealand is increasing steadily. Fractures now affect more than 50% of postmenopausal women and about 30% of men over the age of 60 causing considerable debility and reduced quality and length of life. Health professionals should therefore encourage patients of both sexes to consider prevention and active intervention strategies for osteoporosis.
These recommendations have been formulated by Osteoporosis New Zealand and are a revision of earlier guidelines produced at the 2005 National Osteoporosis Meeting.
The recommendations focus on the commonest causes of osteoporosis, namely postmenopausal osteoporosis, age-related osteoporosis in men, and corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis.
Suggestions for investigation of other secondary causes of osteoporosis are provided depending on clinical context.
The recommendations do not attempt to provide a comprehensive treatise on the subject, nor do they replace clinical assessment and individual judgement by the doctor and his/her patient in considering management.
The recommendations concentrate on therapies registered in New Zealand.
The funding and availability of diagnostic testing (DEXA scans), and the availability and cost-to-patients of treatments, differ from other countries and may influence treatment decisions.
