What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by reduced calcium in your bones.This results in fragile bones that break easily(bone fracture)

The risk of having a bone fracture varies per person

The main risk factors for bone fractures are:

  • Older than 60 years: the risk of bone fracture increases when you get older
  • Women: after menopause the decline in bone mass is faster
  • Parental hip fracture: if your father or mother has osteoporosis or had a hip fracture, your riskof bone fractures is also higher
  • Medications: medications with corticosteroids (a type of hormones) accelerates bone loss
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: if you have arthritis, you have a higherrisk for bone fractures
  • Results DXA scan: as a DXA scan shows that you have a so-called T-value lower than -2.5 (osteoporosis), you are at increased risk to have a fracture in subsequent years
  • Low weight: if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 20 kg/m2, then your riskof bone fractures is increased
  • Smoking: if you smoke, your risk of bone fractures is increased
  • Alcohol: if you drink 3 or more glasses of alcohol each day is your risk of bone fractures is increased
  • Physical activity: if your need an aid to walk or if you have not been walking during 4 weeks the last year, you have an increased risk to fracture a bone
  • Falls: the more you fall, the greater the chance to have a bone fracture

If you have a high or a moderate risk of fracture, it is important to see whether you want to do something to improve your bonequality. There are medications that coulddecrease your risk of bone fractures. This decision aid can help you to choosewith your doctor or nurse the most appropriate treatment for you.

In which risk group I am?

High / moderate / low

Without drugs

For every 100 women like you, …… will break a bone within …… years, while ……will not break.

In which risk group I am?

High / moderate / low

With drugs

For every 100 women like you, …… will break a bone within …… years, while …… will not break.

……women will not break bones thanks to the drug.

What would you like to do?

Overview of possible choices and making your own choice

Option* / No drugs / Taking drugs
What are the benefits? / - You don't have to do anything / - Your risk of fracture will decrease
What are the disadvantages? / - Your risk of fracture will not decrease / - Most drugs have to be taken daily, weekly or monthly and for a long time period
- Drugs can have adverse events

* In both options ‘no drugs’ and ‘taking drugs’, it is important that you live as healthy as possible. A healthy lifestyle means that you eat healthy, move sufficiently, don’t smoke and have moderate alcohol consumption. It is also important that your food contains sufficient calcium and vitamin D. Ask your doctor or nurse formore information.

If you want to use drugs, you might prefer a specific drug

A number of considerations could influence your personal preference for a particular drug: the type of bones that are protected, the mode of administration of the drug, how and how often the drug should be taken, and the potential side effects that could occur. Or perhaps you have other questions about drugs that could determine your personal preference.

The information in this decision aid is among other based on the multidisciplinairerichtlijnOsteoporoseuit 2011 van het CBO en de KeuzehulpOsteoporose van het CBO (Nederland)

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