Osteoporosis is a disease common among elderly patients that is increasing in frequency as senior citizens begin to represent a larger share of the U.S. population. Osteoporosis increases the risk of severe fracture, which, in turn, is associated with a higher risk of mortality. A variety of literature has demonstrated that antiresorptive therapy is effective at reducing the progression of disease and preventing fracture; however, recent studies have demonstrated that these therapies have a variety of adverse effects, some of which – like mandibular and maxillary osteonecrosis – are severe and were unrecognized at the time of their initial F.D.A approval.
While osteoporosis was traditionally thought of as a disease of postmenopausal women, the patient population has expanded to elderly men. Considerations also naturally extend to patients with other chronic predispositions to weakened bones, such as long-term corticosteroid treatment regimens. This wide array of different patient populations and treatment choices may present a clinical conundrum in which the optimal path to successful treatment remains unclear to clinicians. Indeed, the literature suggests that there is a gap between the actual and optimal treatment of patients with osteoporosis.
The literature suggests that: there are or may be emerging or existing patterns of ethnic, racial, and gender disparities in healthcare and treatment of patients with osteoporosis; race- and ethnicity-based discrimination within the healthcare environment are associated with disparities in care; and that such discrimination is associated with both worse chronic health condition control and a higher incidence catastrophic health events.
This online free CME program has been designed to bring healthcare professionals’ knowledge of the rationale behind prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in various populations up to date. This program also attempts to examine the role of demographic-based barriers to care of patients with osteoporosis and strategies to minimize or alleviate those disparities.
Agenda
Introduction, Disclosures
Definitions and epidemiology of osteoporosis
• Types of osteoporosis
• Incidence and prevalence
• Causes and risk factors
• Patient cases
Diagnosis
• General presentation, signs, and symptoms
• Bone mineral density, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, T-scores, and bone metabolic biomarkers
• Differential diagnosis: ruling out vitamin D deficiency and other endocrine and metabolic disorders
• Patient cases
Treatment
• Exercise, diet, and the role of vitamins
• Smoking cessation and limitation of alcohol consumption
• Pharmacotherapy
• Patient cases
Challenges to diagnosis and treatment
• Demographic barriers
• Underdiagnosis
• Patients who go un treated post-hip fracture
• Treatment adherence
• Patient education
• Patient cases
Summary, conclusions, and best practice recap
Healthcare professionals specializing in endocrinology, family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, pathology, preventive medicine, primary care, public health, women’s health, or those who otherwise commonly care for patients with osteoporosis.
Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by educational grants from AMGEN.
Release Date: March 03, 2013 -- Expiration Date: March 03, 2015
Faculty: Andrea Traina, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP
By the end of the session the participant will be able to:
ACCREDITATION FOR THIS COURSE HAS EXPIRED. YOU MAY VIEW THE PROGRAM, BUT CME / CE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND NO CERTIFICATE WILL BE ISSUED.
As an provider of continuing medical education, it is the policy of ScientiaCME to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. In accordance with this policy, faculty and educational planners must disclose any significant relationships with commercial interests whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, and any relationships with the commercial supporter of the activity. The intent of this disclosure is to provide the intended audience with information on which they can make their own judgments. Additionally, in the event a conflict of interest (COI) does exist, it is our policy to ensure that the COI is resolved in order to ensure the integrity of the CME activity. For this CME activity, any COI has been resolved thru content review by ScientiaCME.
Faculty Disclosure: Andrea Traina, PharmD reports that she has no disclosures.
Disclosures of Educational Planner: Charles Turck, PharmD is an officer and part owner of ScientiaCME, LLC. ScientiaCME has received grants from Novo Nordisk, the commercial supporter of this program.
Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by educational grants from AMGEN.
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