老年人骨折疏松的诊断及治疗不足之处

根据一项最新的研究：通过对传统的胸部X线检查读片可以帮助诊断老年人的骨质疏松，但对本病的早期诊断没有帮助。

调查人员说：他们是通过对近千位椎骨骨折患者的胸部X线做评估后才得出这个结论的。椎骨骨折是与骨质疏松最相关的典型骨折，但是其中的一个临床医生大约只发现了近三分之一。

来自阿尔伯达医院大学（埃德蒙顿，加拿大）的定期研究中最显著的发现是存在数目巨大的对老年椎骨骨折患者诊断和处理的不足。该研究发表于2005年4月25日的内科学文献集月刊。

在2001年，对年龄大于60岁、曾因任何情况在急诊室就诊并接受过胸部X线检查的500名随机患者，研究者们引入了群组研究调查。据研究员们说：虽然六分之一的老年患者们的胸部X线存在“重要的临床椎骨骨折”，但根据病史，这些患者中只有近60%的人被明确诊断，并且这部分患者中只有25%的人被诊断出患有骨质疏松和接受治疗。

统计数据指出，早期的研究证明有25%的年龄在50－60岁之间的人存在一处或多处与骨质疏松相关的椎骨骨折。科学家指出：这些骨折大约只有近30%被内科医生发现，而剩余70%的骨折则继续使人们的生活质量下降，导致疾病以及增加其它骨折的危险。
 
Osteoporosis Underdiagnosed, Undertreated in Elderly
 
A closer look at the conventional chest x-ray could help detect osteoporosis in older adults not earlier diagnosed with the disease, according to a new study.

Investigators said they reached this conclusion after assessing hundreds of chest x-rays for fractures of the vertebrae, the most typical bone fracture linked with osteoporosis but one that clinicians observed in only approximately one-third of patients.

“The most noteworthy finding in our study is the magnitude of the nderdiagnosis and undertreatment of osteoporosis in elderly patients with a vertebral fracture” stated researchers from the University of Alberta Hospital (Edmonton, CA) in at report in the April 25, 2005, issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

In 2001, the researchers conducted a cohort study with a random sample of 500 patients older than 60 years old who had gone to the emergency room and underwent chest radiography for any indication. Even though one is six older adults who had chest-x-rays had “clinically important vertebral fractures,” only approximately 60% of these breaks were observed in the patient’s records and only 25% of those with fractures were detected or treated for osteoporosis, according

to the researchers.

The scientists noted that earlier studies demonstrated as many as 25% of individuals aged 50-60

have one or more osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures. Only approximately 30% of those

fractures are reported to a physician, whereas the other 70% go on to cause decreased quality of

life, illness, and increase risk of more fractures, the scientist reported.