Awareness of Osteoporosis among Females, Eastern Province, KSA

Abstract

Introduction: The osteoporosis is a progressive systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture linked with excess morbidity and mortality. It is a serious silent disease that develops slowly over so many years and often diagnosed after the fragility fracture happened. The incidence of vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis in KSA is between 20%-24% 2 . Materials and Methods: The study is based on an electronic questionnaire which carried out in eastern province during October to November 2016. The targeted group was 250 females. The subjects participating in the study were chosen at random from urban and suburban communities. Results: A total of 250 subjects completed the questionnaire. The age response of subjects as following less than 45 (86.64%), from 45 to 55 (10.53%), more than 55 (2.83%). Out of them 58.4% of participants were premenopausal and 41.6 % were postmenopausal. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that women in eastern province, Saudi Arabia is not fully aware about osteoporosis. The findings demonstrate that awareness and education are important factors in maintaining healthy bones among them.