Patients also face barriers to treatment. An ROS survey found 69% of people with osteoporosis reported problems getting vital drugs. Around 1.4 million women in England who are eligible for romosozumab – a new “bone-builder” drug – cannot access it because of regional restrictions.
Similar issues exist for denosumab injections, which help slow bone breakdown. A Department of Health and Social
Care spokesperson said: “We will roll out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030, as set out in our
10 Year Health Plan.
“Patients with osteoporosis will also benefit from neighbourhood health centres across the country, bringing diagnostics, mental health, rehab and nursing to people’s doorsteps. This is part of our mission to fix the NHS, and we’re already making progress – waiting lists are falling and more patients are getting treatment within target times.
“We’re also investing in 13 hi-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans so people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.”
More than 2,000 people in England die every year as a result of weakened bones – a rise of 25 per cent since 1990, a major study has found. The Lancet study, published this month, shows England’s death rate from “low bone mineral density” is 3.8 per 100,000 people – equivalent to approximately 2,150 deaths in a single year.
Crucially, this figure is adjusted to remove the effect of England’s ageing population. That means the rise cannot simply be explained by more people living longer. This contrasts with countries like Ireland, Spain and Japan, which have recorded lower death rates from fragile bones.
The report data, gathered as part of the Global Burden of Disease project, which tracks health risks worldwide, was based on data over 30 years between 1990 and 2020 – the latest available. The report data, analysed by the Royal Osteoporosis Society for the Sunday Express, also shows that more than 220,000 years of healthy life are lost every year in England due to fractures and disability caused by weakened bones. Yet several Western European nations – including France, Italy and Portugal – have seen significant improvements over the same period.
Low bone mineral density refers to weaker bones that are more likely to break. It is not the same as osteoporosis, but everyone with osteoporosis also has LBMD.
Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and break more easily, often from a fall from standing height, a sneeze, a cough or even
a hug. Hip fractures are particularly serious, often leading to loss of independence, long hospital stays and, in many cases, early death. Fragility fractures already place a huge burden on the health service.
Broken bones caused by osteoporosis cost the NHS, social care and the economy around £4.5billion a year, according to the ROS. Hip fractures alone account for £2billion of this total.
Across the UK, there are more than 500,000 fractures every year, many of which could be prevented with earlier diagnosis and
treatment. One of the main concerns is the “postcode lottery” for Fracture Liaison Services – specialist NHS bone clinics that identify patients after a first break, test for osteoporosis and potentially start treatment.
Only 51 per cent of NHS Trusts in England have an FLS. Wales has achieved universal FLS coverage. Coverage in Scotland and Northern Ireland remains patchy. ROS modelling shows that if FLS clinics were rolled out nationwide in England, they could prevent 74,000 fractures over five years, including 31,000 hip fractures, save the NHS £665million, and free up 750,000 hospital bed days.