CME Activity Credit Expired
A CME-Certified Newsletter
Osteoporosis: The Surgeon General's Call to Action Clinical Trial Updates and Vitamin D Supplementation
Introduction
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength, predisposing an individual to increased risk of fracture. This condition, which affects over 8 million women and 2 million men in the United States, poses a substantial economic burden of approximately $17 billion annually. As the American population continues to age, the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures will only increase and the physical, psychological, and socioeconomic aspects of the disease will grow even more burdensome.
In the United States, half of all women and one-quarter of all men aged 50 and older are expected to suffer an osteoporotic fracture over their lifetime.4 Notably, one in five postmenopausal women who experience a new vertebral fracture will experience another vertebral fracture within one year. In addition, mortality following hip fracture is 31 percent higher in men and 17 percent higher in women in the first year after injury.
Osteoporosis has been called the "bone thief" and despite its prevalence, it often goes unrecognized and undertreated. This educational newsletter covers the latest clinical trial updates and discusses some vital issues in osteoporosis management including the importance of vitamin D supplementation in bone health and the efficacy of current non-invasive assessment techniques.
Educational Objectives
At the end of this activity, participants should be able to:
- Review the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship to osteoporosis;
- Compare the efficacy and safety profile of established vitamin D supplementation recommendations with revised recommendations from more recent research;
- Discuss the efficacy and importance of current noninvasive assessment techniques for osteoporosis; and
- Examine key data from recent clinical trial updates.
Faculty
M. Susan Burke, MD, FACP
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Medical School
Philadelphia, PA
Director, Internal Medicine, Clinical Care Center, Lankenau Hospital
Wynnewood, PA
Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD, FACP
Medical Director, Clinical Research Center of North Texas,
Adjunct Professor, Departments of Kinesiology and Biological Sciences, University of North Texas
Denton, TX
