Strong, safe and sound You feel well, no aches, no pains: no reason, then, to suspect osteoporosis. That’s exactly what most people are thinking while this bone disease might be present but as yet with no symptoms. Radiologist and osteoporosis specialist Dr Birgit Alexander-Suitner and Park Igls Medical Director Dr Peter Gartner explain this in the following interview. They also know what risk factors to be mindful of and the most effective measures to take for prevention.
We are told that osteoporosis is becoming a global epidemic. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? Birgit Alexander-Suitner: People’s awareness of the consequences of osteoporosis is still very low. The message that women should be tested as soon as they start the menopause has not yet been driven home. The estimated number of undetected cases is huge, so I’m wary of numbers. Without a clinical manifestation of osteoporosis, i.e. no bone fractures, the disease often remains concealed. Peter Gartner: A study found that 750,000 Austrians suffer with osteoporosis, of which 600,000 are women. So, osteoporosis affects mostly women, but not exclusively.
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STRONG, SAFE AND SOUND
