Action Plan for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in the European Community

Osteoporosis and related fractures are a major health problem in the older population and impose a huge financial burden on healthcare systems. It is estimated that in Europe, 179,000 men and 611,000 women will suffer a hip fracture each year and that the cost of all osteoporotic fractures in Europe is provisionally €25 billion [1]. Unless effective preventive strategies are developed, the number and cost of osteoporotic fractures will increase at least 2-fold over the next 5 decades, mainly as a result of predicted demographic changes. In 1998, the European Commission published a report on osteoporosis in the European Community with eight specific recommendations for the prevention of osteoporosis and associated fractures [2]. An audit, performed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation in 2001, demonstrated that uptake of these recommendations had been poor [3], and in 2002 the European Union Osteoporosis Consultation Panel was formed with financial support from the European Commission, consisting of more than 40 government health policy makers from the European Union and member states, osteoporosis experts and project partners. The mission of this group is to work with stakeholders, at both national and EU levels, to implement the recommendations of the 1998 European Commission report. To achieve this, the group formulated the key next steps required to implement the 1998 recommendations in a document entitled ‘‘Osteoporosis in the European Community: Action Plan [4], the contents of which are summarised below. Structure of the Action Plan