The epidemiology of osteoporosis, associated fragility fractures, and management gap in China

BackgroundOsteoporosis has been one of the most common but largely under-diagnosed clinical problems among elderly population. The disease burden is even greater in China because of limited medical resources and large population size. This article is aimed to provide an overview of disease burden, secular trend, and management gap of osteoporosis and related fractures in China.MethodsBased on the related studies published in English and Chinese from 1990 to 2017, we investigated the prevalence/incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, characterizing the secular trend and disease burden in different regions. Strict inclusion criteria were applied to control the study quality. We further examined the diagnosis and treatment gap of osteoporosis management observed in clinical practice in China and summarized the efforts made by Chinese government and scholars to combat this situation.ResultsTwenty-seven studies concerning osteoporosis prevalence in China (including Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Another 15 studies about hip fracture incidence and 13 studies about vertebral fracture prevalence/incidence were also included. The epidemiological data varied greatly across studies due to different design and population included. A higher prevalence was indicated in female population, older age groups, and residents in northern China compared to their counterparts. Though attenuated increased rates or slight decline patterns have been observed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, osteoporotic fracture incidence still showed steady increase in Chinese mainland. The diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis as well as post-fracture management were still insufficient in China.ConclusionDue to its silent nature, osteoporosis and its related fractures remain largely under-diagnosed and under-managed in China. It also highlights the scarcity of high-quality studies specifically focus on longtime documentation of disease burden change and male population, especially in mainland area.